Advertisement

Every word Ange Postecoglou said on Tottenham's set piece problems, Cristian Romero and Arsenal

What are your immediate feelings after a game like that?

Disappointing. It was a disappointing day for us. It was a big game, a big game for the club, for our fans. We didn't get the outcome we wanted so obviously very disappointing.

Can you see there's more of a trend now with the amount of set piece goals being conceded this season?

Yeah, no because it's understanding where you are as a football team. If I thought fixing defensive set pieces was the answer to us bridging the gap then I'd put all of my time and effort into that. But that's not where we're at. For us it's about, when I was focused on the details of, not just set pieces but a lot of moments in games where we don't sense that you give good opposition the time and the space to do things then they're going to hurt you. I think they maybe had four attempts on goal in the first half and they conceded three. I don't think it's about one part of it, I think it's a bigger, broader picture than that, but our defensive set pieces for those two were very poor. But there's a lot more than that to fix.

What did you make of the performance overall?

Like I said, it's disappointing. The outcome was disappointing. We wanted to win today for our supporters and for the club. We didn't do that and whatever I think about the performance it's still the outcome that sits on you. I thought our general football was good, was decent. We controlled the game for long periods for the most part but we know that. We know we're a team that can do that.

It's about now over the course of time getting from where we are to where we want to get to. To do that we're still not absolutely laser focused on the details, the small things that get you from where we are to become a team that contends. Credit to Arsenal, they're there now. They're a team that does deal with the details well and we don't.

READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Arsenal - Romero almost sparks comeback as Maddison struggles

READ MORE: Every word Postecoglou said on how Udogie got injured, Pedro Porro, Mikey Moore and Arsenal

What are those details?

Mate there are thousands. I'm not going to sit here but it's the little details like you can't give time and space to the opposition, you can't make decisions or lose focus in any given moment. Even the transition goal we were focused on a decision at the other end when we should have been thinking about the danger that was potentially at the other side.

One positive was Cristian Romero, what did you make of his performance today?

Yeah, he was outstanding. He's a World Cup winner and I've just got to get some of what's in him into some of the others.

What did you make of the decision in the opposition box before that transition goal?

Doesn't matter how I saw it. What matters is what I've said all along, games are not refereed in the stadium any more. They are refereed somewhere else and no one will convince me otherwise. It's not even re-refereed, it's refereed somewhere else. That's why I don't celebrate goals any more. I wait for somebody down the road. I just don't think referees in the stadium any more have that authority they used to make decisions. They just go 'you know what, I'll just wait and see what the bloke down the road thinks'. It's a shame, I don't like it but it's here to stay and I've got to accept it like everyone else.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.

Catch up with this week's Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.