Manager Ange Postecoglou has stood by his “assessment” of Timo Werner's performance in Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Rangers in the Europa League, saying his team is in turmoil. He claimed that he had no time to do so.
Injury-hit Spurs fought back with Dejan Kulusevski's equalizer in the 75th minute to take Ibrox to a point, but after Thursday's game manager Postecoglou said Werner's performance after being substituted at half-time was “acceptable”. I can't do it,'' he claimed.
The Tottenham manager insisted in a press conference on Friday that his judgment of the German forward was “not a criticism”. it was [an] He admitted Werner will be needed for Sunday's trip to Southampton, where nine players are unavailable.
“With Timo, it didn't matter whether he played well or not. It was a difficult game last night,” the Australian said. “I want a big job from an 18-year-old, so of course I want a senior player. And he's a senior player, he's an international player, he's won the Champions League. We'll get there. There is a level of application and performance that is needed to help the team. he didn't reach that. ”
“For me to send him off at half-time was enough of a statement. In the same way, I won't hide behind the team's poor performance, and that's the same for the players or anyone else. , remains the same,” Postecoglou added. “It wasn't a criticism, it was just an assessment of his performance. It was a really difficult night for us and we need to do better.
“We're in contention here, we're in contention as a whole. I'm not going to go around worrying about people's bruised egos. This football club wants to achieve something and be successful. We're going all the way down to the fundamentals of players, if there's someone in the dressing room who's healthy and can contribute, but we feel like we need something special at this point. , that person is probably not the right type.”
'[Darwin] “He's not just judged on the goals he scores, he's judged on the team's performance, his work rate and how well he wins the ball back high up the pitch,” Slott said. Premier League Manager of the Month Award for November.
“Ideally he would have scored a few more goals. Maybe in a few weeks you'll ask me [why] Moe is no longer scoring goals, but Darwin is scoring one goal after another. It's the life of a number 9, sometimes you score, sometimes you don't. But what should always be present is work rate. ”
“I think that’s what he has, apart from two games. [a pre-season friendly] “The last 30 minutes against Las Palmas and Girona were not up to the standard he should have been,” Slott concluded. “It had a lot to do with him being disappointed in missing out on some opportunities.” PA media
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Liverpool's slot hopes for more as Nunez misfires
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Manager Arne Slott has defended Darwin Nunez's contribution to Liverpool, but admitted this week that the striker's standards had fallen below required levels. Nuñez was disappointed after missing some chances in the Champions League win against Girona, but Slott wanted him to score goals to give him confidence, so they continued to use him for a long period of time. acknowledged.
'[Darwin] “He's not just judged on the goals he scores, he's judged on the team's performance, his work rate and how well he wins the ball back high up the pitch,” Slott said. Premier League Manager of the Month Award for November.
“Ideally he would have scored a few more goals. Maybe in a few weeks you'll ask me [why] Moe is no longer scoring goals, but Darwin is scoring one goal after another. It's the life of a number 9, sometimes you score, sometimes you don't. But what should always be present is work rate. ”
“I think that’s what he has, apart from two games. [a pre-season friendly] “The last 30 minutes against Las Palmas and Girona were not up to the standard he should have been,” Slott concluded. “It had a lot to do with him being disappointed in missing out on some opportunities.” PA media
Yves Bissouma and Rodrygo Bentancur started for Rangers but will be suspended at St Mary's to add to Tottenham's absences. Defenders Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are all absent, as are attackers Richarlison and Wilson Odbert, and keeper Guglielmo Vicario is also out for an extended period of time.
We have 15 healthy players, but we only have two players in some positions,” Coach Postecoglou continued, adding, “I'm not going to try to extract extra talent. Even if they can't, it's an indication of what kind of situation they're in.”
“We are in the middle of a battle, we only have a limited number of players to call up, we have some big games to start the season. “What we need is people to help lead the way. Just having a level of dedication and application. As much as I'm talking about Timo, I'm talking about the whole group now and all of us.”
Arteta relaxed about replacing Edu
Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal's search for a new sporting director will not affect transfer business and insisted Edu's permanent successor could be selected from within the club.
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Jason Ayt, who spent 10 years at Arsenal, first as a scout and then worked his way up to becoming Edu's right-hand man, has been appointed to the post on an interim basis. However, Dan Ashworth's sudden departure from Manchester United has seen him linked with a move to north London as the January transfer window approaches.
Speaking before Saturday's game against Everton at the Emirates, Arteta was asked whether not having a permanent sporting director could cause problems in the club's transfer negotiations. “We have one too,” he answered. “Jason Ait is interim sporting director. He is now receiving the fullest capacity and support of the football club. He is doing really well with the team. As you know, this process is open and the club will determine, with the support of all of us, the best person to lead us forward.”
“I'm by no means expecting a super busy January, but we'll have to wait and see,” added the Arsenal manager. “We might have a chance. I hope things improve for the team in the next few weeks. We'll have to wait and see.”
Asked if he wanted to resolve the situation before the end of the season, Arteta said: “Yes. I'm not leading the process, it's more for the club to deal with.”
Defenders Riccardo Calafioli, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu are currently absent, but centre-back Gabriel is expected to return on Saturday. Teenager Miles Lewis-Skelly is likely to keep his place at left-back after impressing in the Champions League match against Monaco.
