'Fragile foundations!' - Four Spurs managers who laid into club's mentality and what they said

Tottenham's mindset has long been a topic for debate.

Under manager Ange Postecoglou, Spurs appeared to be heading in the right direction this season before their 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on Monday brought back old narratives.

While victory would have kept Tottenham in contention for Champions League qualification, their defeat not only put an end to those hopes but also gave City a significant edge in the Premier League title race against Arsenal.

Postecoglou appeared noticeably irate in his after-match press conference when anti-Arsenal chants were heard from Tottenham supporters following Erling Haaland's opening goal, reports the Mirror.

A section of the Spurs crowd was clearly pleased that their team's defeat had damaged the title prospects of their North London adversaries, who haven't lifted the Premier League trophy in two decades.

An incensed Postecoglou stated: "I think the last 48 hours have revealed the foundations are fairly fragile, outside the club, inside the club, everywhere" and added: "It has been an interesting exercise. It's just my observations. I'm not going to tell you more. You can make your own assessment of what happened.

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"I probably misread the situation as to what I think is important and the endeavour to become a winning team, but that's okay. That's why I'm here. I just want to win, I want to be successful at this club. That's why I was brought in."

But it's not just the current Spurs boss who has had issues with the club's mentality as Football London reports...

Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino is arguably the most successful Tottenham coach in recent times, despite his lack of trophies, and was candid about the need for a mentality shift at Spurs. Before being dismissed from his post, he suggested a long-term project was necessary after a loss to Burnley in the 2018/19 campaign.

"If we want to be real contenders, Burnley is a must-win game. It's unacceptable to lose," Pochettino remarked. "If you lose you cannot say afterwards you are a real contender. In the last 10 or 12 games of the season, you have to be strong and dominate all the aspects of the game if you want to show you are a real contender."

"That is what is holding us back. My worry is to change that is not only five years' work, maybe it is 10 years' work."

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte, known for his winning pedigree, was brutally honest about Tottenham's struggles after they squandered a 3-1 lead to Southampton, resulting in a 3-3 draw.

The Italian, clearly frustrated, lashed out at his squad post-match, criticising the club's history of underachievement as "Tottenham's story". "They're used to it here", Conte said.

"Don't play for something important. They don't want to play under pressure. They don't want to play under stress. Tottenham's story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something. Why?"

Jose Mourinho

Despite leading Spurs to their first League Cup final since their 2008 victory, Jose Mourinho was dismissed just days before the Wembley showdown, with Ryan Mason stepping in for the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.

Taking over from Pochettino, Mourinho found Spurs languishing in 10th place and out of all competitions within his first four months. The Portuguese manager aimed to instil his winning mentality into the struggling squad.

"I want the team to be a reflection of what the coach is. When that happens, that's when you feel: 'This is really my team.'," he shared with Sky Sports. During his time at Roma, he later added: "I hope the Tottenham fans don't get me wrong but the only club in my career where I don't have still a deep feeling for is Tottenham."

"Probably because the stadium was empty, Covid time. Probably because Mr Levy [Spurs chairman Daniel Levy] didn't let me win a final and win a trophy. But it's the only one, so after that - Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United - all the clubs I feel a connection."