Newcastle United will raise the curtain on 2025 against a Tottenham Hotspur side that are feeling the pressure following Sunday's 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool. But manager Ange Postecoglou cut a defiant figure ahead of the Christmas schedule, in a frank exchange with reporters following the game.

The Australian has won many fans with his brand of attacking football, but has faced criticism for what many feel is a refusal to adapt tactics to different situations. Spurs have big injury issues in defence, with the likes of Christian Romero, Wilson Odobert, Micky van de Ven and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario all currently ruled out.

However, having conceded eight goals in just two games, Postecoglou was again asked about tactics following the mauling at the hands of Arne Slot's Liverpool, but was not in the mood to take more questions on the subject.

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"I'm just going to stop answering these questions," the Spurs boss told the BBC. "If people can't see the obvious I‘m not going to point it out. Make of it what you want, yes we're conceding goals.

"If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and left-back and that hasn't coincided with what we're doing - I don’t know what to say anymore.

"I think people make up their mind in their own way. They either think what I’m doing is good or bad, and that’s fine. It’s fairly significant. If you took out Liverpool’s goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a left-back - or any team other than Liverpool, they'd find it tough going as well."

In the written media press conference, he was similarly reluctant to address tactics, adding: "I think I have been really patient the last 18 months sitting up here answering the same questions over and over again.

"If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change. We are doing it for a reason, we are doing it because we think it will help us to be successful.

"If people don’t understand the circumstances we are in at the moment, the challenges we have from a squad perspective which are as obvious as you want to make them.

"I get the idea that people think that I should just flip a switch and change and somehow that will miraculously make us a better team. It is what it is. I’m just going to continue, stay focused on trying to build this team to be the team we want. In the interim we are going to have to accept there are going to be challenges along the way."

Spurs now face a difficult trip to third-placed Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, before hosting Wolves on Sunday, December 29, with Newcastle in town for the first game of 2025 on Saturday, January 4 (12.30pm). Howe's side take on Aston Villa at St James' Park on Boxing Day and will face Manchester United at Old Trafford in their final game of 2024 on Monday, January 30 (8pm).