Ange Postecoglou tells Tottenham stars he’s ‘SICK’ of excuses and doesn’t care about ‘bruised egos’, after Timo Werner jibe, as he hits back at his own player Cristian Romero’s ‘mythical’ comments

Ange Postecoglou admitted he’s ‘sick’ of hearing excuses about Tottenham’s struggles and told any players who are not up for the fight to head for the door.

The Tottenham boss insists he wasn’t bothered about ‘bruised egos’ in his dressing room after he slammed Timo Werner’s performance against Rangers as ‘unacceptable’.

Postecoglou’s post-match criticism extended beyond Werner in the Ibrox dressing room as he demanded more from his senior players during Tottenham’s difficult spell.

Among them was understood to have been defender Pedro Porro, who was seen deep in conversation with his boss in the centre of the pitch after the 1-1 draw in the Europa League last night.

‘We’re in a fight here,’ said Postecoglou. ‘I’m not going to go around worrying about people’s bruised egos. We’re here to acheive things. We are down to the bare bones in players. If there’s somebody in the dressing room who’s fit who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.

‘I need guys who understand the situation we’re in. We’ve got 15 fit players, in some positions we’ve only got two players. I’m not going to go around trying to get extra out of people. If they’re not able to give extra now, it gives me an indication of when they’re at.

Postecoglou was heavily critical of Timo Werner after the German was taken off at half-time

‘We’re in a fight here, in a battle. When people are in a fight and a battle do you think they go around asking “how are you feeling today? Are you feeling up for this?” You’ve got no choice, mate. You’ve got to be up for it.

‘It’s not about Timo. It’s about who we are in the situation we’re in right now. If it’s not Timo it could be someone else on Sunday [against Southampton]. 

‘If somebody else doesn’t perform to the levels for the current situation we’re in then we’re going to suffer for it because we’ve only got a certain amount of players.

‘It’s not about bringing somebody down and blaming someone. It wasn’t criticism, it was an assessment. 

‘This is not about one person, it’s what we’re in and the situation we’re in right now. We’ve got a limited amount of players, we’re really stretched but we’ve got big games that can set up our season. 

‘It’s a great challenge. I want people who are up for that challenge and when they go out there, irrespective if things go well or not, I want them relishing the opportunity to be out there. 

‘This is not a time for us to be kind of worried about people’s mindset. If you don’t understand or feel what we’re in at the moment, I’m not sure what it’s going to take.’

Postecoglou was also critical of centre-back Cristian Romero’s recent comments that suggested Tottenham’s lack of success was down to investment by club owner Daniel Levy in a throwback to the age-old criticism that Spurs, mentally and financially, aren’t built to win things.

Tottenham have won just once in their last eight matches after their 1-1 draw with Rangers

The Spurs boss also hit back at his own player Cristian Romero’s ‘mythical’ comments

‘I’m sick of that,’ added Postecoglou. ‘That’s an excuse for me. With Cristian Romero’s comments, I think that’s an excuse. At the moment, I am here. I take responsibility.

‘If we think some mythical thing exists in this club that prevents success, well, change it. What is the point otherwise. Don’t come here. We are in a difficult situation because of where we are squad wise.

‘You either embrace this challenge or, if you want excuses, there’s a million of them, a million excuses as to why we can’t be successful. If that’s what your clutch is, particularly in tough moments, what’s the point, move on then, go somewhere else.’