Ange Postecoglou after north London derby defeat to Arsenal: Spurs’ form is unacceptable, we have to change | Football news

Ange Postecoglou criticized his Tottenham side after their derby defeat to Arsenal, labeling their recent performance and form as “unacceptable”.

Postecoglou’s side barely threatened in the 2-1 defeat, with Pedro Porro’s stoppage time shot from an unlikely angle the most they managed a response in the second half when they were supposed to be chasing the game.

Spurs remain in 13th place with just one league win – against 20th-placed Southampton – since beating Manchester City in November, while Arsenal have one eye on the title. Postecoglou’s side are just eight points above the relegation zone.

They face Everton, themselves trying to avoid a relegation battle, on Sunday in person Sky Sports.

When asked to give his take on the performance, Postecoglou said: “Not good enough, especially the first half which was too passive. We let Arsenal take control. I was disappointed with us with and without the ball, letting them dictate the pace is not good enough.

“That’s not who we are. It’s not the way I’ve set the team up to play. To sit back and let Arsenal play just wasn’t good enough.

“There is no magic cure. We have to work hard and go to battle on Sunday and turn our fortunes and our season around. There are always reasons why things happen but the reality is that our results and form in the league has not been that good that should change.

“We just didn’t play close to the identity of what I want to be. We’re an aggressive team with and without the ball – we showed that against Liverpool, but tonight we were too passive. That’s not acceptable. The second half was a bit better but not enough.

“This cannot be accepted by anyone at the club, for us to lose so many games in a league season is not fair. Yes, we are looking for big jobs, but I hope the 18-year-olds (Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall) be hurting as much as anyone to not be able to deliver a big day.”

Arteta praises the ‘intense’ performance

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaking to TNT:

“The boys were outstanding. We played 120 minutes less than 72 hours ago but the way we performed was outstanding.

“We made it difficult for ourselves, but the attitude was outstanding, the goal and the intensity was very good.

“We play every three days so it’s just a base, it’s about the next day now. We won today, good, but now it’s for Aston Villa. My confidence comes from what I see every day, not just the results. Sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. What we can control is the performance, and today they did it again.”

Regarding the possibility of reinforcements in January, Arteta added: “Yes, for sure. We have lost two big players with Gabi (Jesus) and Bukayo (Saka). We will try, we are actively looking. We have lost two very important players. We will try, but let’s let’s see what we can get.”