Ange Postecoglou blasted his Tottenham team after their derby defeat to Arsenal, calling their performances and recent form “unacceptable”.
Postecoglou’s side hardly threatened in the 2-1 defeat, with Pedro Porro’s stoppage-time shot off the post from an impossible angle the closest they came to a reply in the second half as they supposedly chased the game.
Spurs remain in 13th place with just one league win – against 20th-placed Southampton – since beating Manchester City in November, while Arsenal have their sights set on the title. Postecoglou’s side are just eight points above the relegation zone.
They next face Everton, themselves trying to avoid a relegation battle, on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Asked to give his take on the performance, Postecoglou said: “Not good enough, especially the first half which was too passive. We allowed Arsenal to take control. I was disappointed with us with and without the ball, which allowed them dictating the pace not nearly well enough.
“That’s not who we are. That’s not how I set the team up to play. To sit and let Arsenal play just wasn’t good enough.
“There is no magic cure. We have to work hard and go into battle on Sunday and turn our fortunes and our season around. There are always reasons why things happen but the reality is that our results and form in the league has not been close good enough. It needs to be changed.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Tottenham
“We just didn’t play anywhere near the identity of what I want us to be. We’re an aggressive team with and without the ball – we showed that against Liverpool, but tonight we were far too passive. It’s not acceptable .The second half was a little better, but it wasn’t enough.
“This cannot be accepted by anyone at the club, that we lose so many games in a league season is not right. Yes, we are asking for big jobs, but I hope the 18-year-olds [Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall] hurts as much as anyone in terms of not being able to deliver on a big day.”
Arteta praises ‘intense’ performance
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT:
“The boys were excellent. We played 120 minutes less than 72 hours ago but the way we performed was outstanding.
“We made it difficult for ourselves but the attitude was excellent. The aim and the intensity was really good.
“We play every third day so it’s just a foundation, it’s about the next day now. We won today, great, but now it’s about Aston Villa. My confidence comes from what I see every day, not just results .Sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. What we can control are performances and today they did it again.”
Leandro Trossard celebrates after giving Arsenal the lead
On the possibility of reinforcements in January, Arteta added: “Yes, for sure. We have lost two big players with Gabi [Jesus] and Bukayo [Saka]. We will try, we are actively looking. We have lost two very important players. We will try, but let’s see what we can get.”