Ange Postecoglou said Tottenham’s sluggish 2-0 loss to Chelsea had damaged their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
With four games remaining, Spurs, who are seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, were terribly outplayed on a disastrous evening. Though they still have a game against Villa, Postecoglou was unconcerned about Chelsea prolonging his team’s losing streak to three games because of their set piece weaknesses.
“We had a bad night,” the Spurs manager admitted. We played nowhere close to the football and lacked the mentality I expected of us. I must own up to that.
“It is me who is putting them out there and getting them ready. We’re so far away from it, I have to assess how well I’m preparing this team. In our football, we lacked genuine commitment and a constructive attitude. We hardly shown any aggression, either with or without the ball. Not at all like us.
When asked if he is concerned about his team’s declining form, Postecoglou—who leads them to Anfield on Sunday—refused to be drawn. It is what it is, he declared. Those are not the terms I think in. Making ensuring we reach specific standards and preparing the team for every game is my job. We neglected to do it today, so I have to take responsibility for that.
Feeling Chelsea gave their best game of the season, Mauricio Pochettino relished the victory over his old side. Head coach of Chelsea declared, “It is the most happy I’ve been.” We desired it from the start of the season in the way we compete and play.
Up to eighth, Chelsea is still in the running to qualify for Europe, behind sixth-placed Manchester United by three points. Pochettino did, however, stress that it is not up to him if he will be in charge the following season.
“Seeing myself scrutinized and judged every single week is challenging,” he remarked. Being here or not is not up to me. We shall see if we can construct in time.
