Ange Postecoglou says it's 'unacceptable' that Spurs didn't put up a fight against Brighton | Tottenham Hotspur

Ange Postecoglou criticized his Tottenham players after watching them waste a 2-0 half-time lead. lose 3-2 at Brightoncalling the performance “unacceptable” and accusing them of a lack of fight. The head coach hasn't been this angry after a loss during his peak season at the club, and his outspoken criticism feels like his Antonio Conte moment.

Conte, Spurs' previous permanent head coach, was thrown into crisis after his team blew a two-goal lead. draw 3-3 at Southampton in March 2023, furiously questioning the mentality of his players. It must be said that Postecoglou's performance was much more measured.

“We didn't do what needs to be done at this level; it's non-negotiable,” Postecoglou said. “We just weren't competitive. We didn't win our duels, we lacked intensity, we didn't deliver what is needed at this level – the basics of the game – and we paid the price for it.

“It is unacceptable. You can understand that you are not going to win every game. But there is a way to lose games. And that's the first time since I've been here that we lost the game like that. Like I said, unacceptable. It's probably the most disappointing loss I've had since I've been here, in terms of the way we approached it and it's something I need to evaluate.

“It is a clear reminder of what elite sport is all about. The core of this is competitive. “If you’re not competitive, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how good you think you are… you’re going to stumble.”

Danny Welbeck put Brighton ahead in the 66th minute and Postecoglou left it until the 79th minute to make his first substitutions. “Substitutions and all that kind of stuff… are totally irrelevant to me,” he said. “If you're not competitive, no matter what you do, you won't get rewards.

“We didn't deserve, based on our performance in the second half, regardless of substitutions or anything else, to get anything out of the game. If you get something from the game, you will receive a fake reward and I don't want to receive a fake reward.

“We should have put an end to the game in the first half. But if that just masks what I saw in the second half, then it's not like that… I mean, certain things will always be revealed as time goes by. “I have to deal with what happened in the second half.”

Postecoglou was asked if he had said all this to the players in the locker room. “Yes, feedback is always what I believe,” he responded. “I don't hide things. I'm sure the players are disappointed, but I don't care about that. They should be disappointed. Our fans are disappointed, I am disappointed.

“I want them to understand that football is not about losing a game, that happens. The disappointment comes from the fact that we did not do the basics that are expected at the highest level from a competitive point of view.”