Ange Postecoglou defends Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal after their spat against Liverpool… as Tottenham boss claims the two defenders ‘care’ about Spurs’ poor form

Ange Postecoglou defended his Tottenham side after they fell to a fourth successive defeat on an afternoon where two of his players were involved in a bust-up on the pitch.

With Tottenham trailing 2-0 at half-time, Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal broke into an argument in the middle of the pitch and came face-to-face before goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had to separate the two defenders.

‘They care. They are not going to just be happy with the current situation,’ Postecoglou insisted. 

‘Because they care, they want to improve. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it stays constructive. They want to change and the situation and not just accept it,’ added the Spurs boss.

His side went four goals down in the second half before the introduction of Richarlison, who got a goal and assist as Tottenham restored some respect on the scoreline but this is now their worst run in the league since 2004, when Jacques Santini was sacked after losing four games on the trot.

Ange Postecoglou defended Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal following their spat 

The defenders broke into an argument in the middle of the pitch and came face-to-face

And Postecoglou stressed that his side doesn’t have a mentality problem, despite blowing the opportunity to make a late push for fourth place after Aston Villa’s defeat at Brighton had left the door open.

‘It’s got nothing to do with mentality,’ he said. ‘If you come to Anfield and don’t try to play, maybe that shows that you don’t have the mentality.  

We definitely tried to play so it’s not a mentality issue at all. In fact, it’s the polar opposite of that. The mentality was for us go out and try to be a version of ourselves. We’re short absolutely but it gives me something to work with,’ the Australian added.

Spurs have conceded 13 goals in their last four games but their manager insisted that he took pride from their performance after failing to score at Stamford Bridge and St James’s Park in their previous two away games.

‘It’s a hugely disappointing outcome but at least we were more like ourselves than in our last two away games where we didn’t try and play football,’ he said. ‘At four-nil, we had a mountain to climb but when we play like ourselves, we put pressure on the opposition,’ Postecoglou added.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted he was delighted with his side as they returned to winning ways. Klopp has just two games remaining as Liverpool boss.

Tottenham fell to a fourth successive loss as they continued their poor form at Liverpool 

Jurgen Klopp admitted he was delighted with his side as they returned to winning ways

‘Did I expect us to be 4-0 up? No. Did I expect us to be at 4-2 and Ali [Alisson] has to make two more worldie saves? No. But when you think about it, it’s not unlikely because Aston Villa lost and it means for Tottenham that if they win, they are fully back in the fight for the Champions League.

‘For us, it means we are third – we cannot change that probably anymore in either direction. We spoke before the game that for high-performance sport, you need to be motivated. Three points should be enough but it’s not always. 

‘For the boys, it was enough and I loved that’ said Klopp. ‘I really liked the way we played, I liked the individual performances and how we played together. It was a really good football game and I think that’s what everybody should expect from us – and the results.’