Dejan Kulusevski has defended under-fire head coach Ange Postecoglou and said Spurs are “paying the price” for not having enough available players.
Spurs sit 15th in the Premier League table after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Leicester extended their winless run to seven games, but Kulusevski insists their injury crisis is the reason for their poor results.
Tottenham’s injury list has stretched into double figures in recent weeks, leaving them with a threadbare squad for a hectic run of fixtures as they compete on four fronts.
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Ange Postecoglou confirmed Micky van de Ven will return against Elfsborg
Micky van de Ven is in line to return from a hamstring problem in Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Elfsborg, but James Maddison is the latest name on the injury list with a calf strain.
Speaking ahead of the Elfsborg game, during which Spurs will look to seal their passage to the last 16, Kulusevski acknowledged their Premier League form has been “very bad” but insisted the context of their absentee list is key.
“Opinions change,” he said when asked about recent criticism of manager and players.
“I don’t listen to no one because I know the truth and I see the truth from my side. It is not important what people say. It has never been, actually.
“The league is very bad and the game on Sunday was tough to lose but you have to stay clear-minded and focus on the goals.
“We have made mistakes, don’t get me wrong. We have made a lot of mistakes.
“But we are 11 fit players, or 10 fit players, in four competitions. That’s not OK and that’s why the team is paying the price, in the league especially.
“You can look at the manager, you can look at the players. But I think it’s bigger than that. It’s everything involved.”
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Watch highlights from Spurs’ defeat to Leicester
He continued: “We play three games a week with nine or 10 players. That’s all I need to say, it’s nothing more than that.
“I think everybody has got to watch the picture and ask themselves how we came this far. That’s it.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” he added when asked if the squad is not big enough.
“We are 11 players playing three games a week for a long period. I don’t see any other team doing that. That’s the only thing we should look at.”
‘Ange is the right man for Spurs’
Kulusevski added that Postecoglou is the right man to lead Tottenham through this difficult period and agreed with his manager’s assertion that Spurs could still achieve “something special” this season.
“Yeah I agree with him,” he said. “Three cups, we’re doing really well in the cups. I think we can do big things in these last four months.”
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Sky Sports’ Paul Merson has urged Spurs to stick with Ange Postecoglou
Asked why Postecoglou was the right man, Kulusevski added: “Because we had games where we showed perfect football and football not many teams can play in the world.
“We played beautiful against (Manchester) United, City away 4-0 and yeah we’re behind him.
“I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yeah, he is the right man.”
Ange: Pressure doesn’t affect me
Postecoglou, meanwhile, insisted he is unaffected by the recent scrutiny surrounding his future, saying he is instead focused on turning their form around in the Premier League and continuing their pursuit of silverware in the cup competitions.
“It doesn’t affect me,” he said. “It never has and it never will. My view on my role has never been about self-preservation, it’s about trying to achieve.
“I’m still in a position where we can do that. You suggest there’s a running commentary on me at the moment which is not surprising given our league position, but I don’t have to respond to that or get involved in that.
“It doesn’t interest me, it doesn’t affect me. What’s important to me is preparing for tomorrow’s game.
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The Super Sunday panel reflect on Tottenham Hotspur’s terrible form and whether sacking boss Ange Postecoglou would be the right thing to do, given they’re still in the hunt for the Carabao Cup and the Europa League
“We’re in a great position to still achieve something really special this year. I’m going to push everyone at the club to not lose sight of the fact that the possibilities of us doing something special are still there if we work our way through it.”
Postecoglou revealed Van de Ven will play some part against Elfsborg having not featured since December 8 but Maddison is facing two to three weeks out with a calf strain.
Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are also available to face Elfsborg but Cristian Romero will only come back into contention following Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Brentford, live on Sky Sports.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is back in training as he works towards a return from an ankle injury, but Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner, Djed Spence and Wilson Odobert remain unavailable.