Ange Postecoglou has insisted that he’s not interested in hearing about Tottenham’s impressive playing style if they’re not winning in the wake of a dismal 2-1 home defeat to West Ham on Thursday evening.
The hosts claimed their fifth 1-0 lead in as many consecutive matches – all without a win – but squandered a dominant first-half performance after their opponents rose to the occasion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Second-half goals from Jarrod Bowen and summer recruit James Ward-Prowse sealed a resurgent showing from the visitors in an entertaining London derby which saw Spurs fail to put away their chances in the first 45 minutes.
The defeat sees Postecoglou’s side unable to move on from fifth place in the Premier League standings ahead of a tricky test against Newcastle on Sunday.
The manager was understandably tetchy in the wake of his side’s defeat, stating in his post-match press conference that he was unhappy with his side’s current inability to convert clever play into three points.
Ange Postecoglou stressed that the only important result from a good performance was a win
His Tottenham side fell 2-1 to West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night
Jarrod Bowen (left) and James Ward-Prowse (right) both scored during the visitors’ peppery second-half
‘Us being good means us being 3-0 up,’ the manager said. ‘This is about winning games. All I am interested in is winning. 1-0 at half time was not a good performance by us.
‘A good one would have been 4-0 up and put it to bed and when you don’t, you give up goals you shouldn’t.
‘We are going through a spell where we are playing so-called good football but I don’t see that,’ Postecoglou continued. ‘It’s us not really showing any real clear conviction in what we are doing, almost thinking it will go in the net by itself, you need determination to do that and keep it out the net.
‘Sometimes we can disguise how we are going, playing some nice stuff, but that’s not what I’m about I want to win. That’s why I came here and that’s the message – a long way to go.
‘We are right at the beginning and days like today give further fuel of how much we need to do.’
The Antipodean’s managerial style has been roundly praised since his summer move to north London in the wake an impressive 10-game start which saw Tottenham soar to the top of the table.
Postecoglou was awarded three consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month awards in recognition of the feat, and has since been committed to his philosophy for the side – most notably keeping a high line with just nine men against Chelsea in what was viewed by some as a noble 4-1 home defeat to their London rivals.
But the former Celtic coach seemed to imply there was less virtue without the results to back up his players’ performances when he brushed aside whether Tottenham ‘deserved’ to have claimed more from the match.
‘You get what you deserve, that’s not the question for us,’ Postecoglou told Amazon Prime. ‘It’s a lot of games where we should have scored, but we conceded two soft goals.
‘Ultimately what you deserve is not important, it’s what you get out of the game.’
Tottenham claimed their fifth 1-0 lead in as many matches – but haven’t won since October
The former Celtic manager called the outing a ‘disappointing day’ for the north London club
Postecoglou is hopeful that his players will use the defeat as fuel for their encounter on Sunday
Although Postecoglou would not concede that the run of lost leads was having a psychological impact on his players, he did take a criticial look at whether Spurs took their chances against David Moyes’ side.
‘We’ve got to be better in the box, and with the chances we take, and have a lot more conviction about our finishing,’ he said.
On a ‘disappointing day’, Postecoglou added: ‘(It’s) disappointing for our fans, disappointing for us in terms of the process we’re looking to make, but it is what it is.
‘We’re still trying to progress as a football team, and days like today show it.’
