Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has responded to defender Cristian Romero’s criticism of the club, saying that “a lot of what he [Romero] said was good and some of what he said wasn’t right.”
Following Spurs’ 4-3 defeat to London rivals Chelsea on Sunday, Romero, in an interview with Telemundo Deportes, bemoaned the club’s lack of investment and expressed concern about the team falling behind their Premier League rivals due to a lack of financial commitment.
Ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League clash with Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday, Postecoglou was asked for his thoughts about his player’s comments.
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“He [Romero] was obviously very emotional, he’s a leader in the club and [through injury] he hasn’t been able to help us,” said the Spurs boss.
“I think it was his way of trying to help us and the group in saying that we’re going through a tough time but he believes in what we’re doing.
“And the other part of it, he probably went about it the wrong way. He’s passionate about having success at the club and the way he expressed it was probably not the right way.
“A lot of what he said was good and some of what he said wasn’t right and shouldn’t have been done in public. I’ve already spoken to Christian about it.”
Without the likes of Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies through injury, Postecoglou also admitted his squad’s current injury crisis is the worst of his managerial career.
“It’s no secret, we’re thin on numbers both squad-wise and position-wise,” said Postecoglou.
“It is something we’re trying to address.”
“It’s a great opportunity to overcome the odds and hopefully create something special.”
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The former Celtic boss is relishing a return to Glasgow but knows the reception he will receive from the Rangers crowd is not likely to be a warm one.
“When the draw came out it was the one of most interest to me because of my history up here,” Postecoglou said.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea of how challenging it is to play Rangers here in front of that crowd and atmosphere. But at the same time it’s exciting.
“It’s an important game for both clubs. A positive result gets you a good way to getting through to the knockout stages.
“I think everyone knows what kind of reception I’ll get.”