How Ange Postecoglou reacted to Tottenham teammates bust-up

Tottenham Hotspur defensive Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal engaged in a heated exchange of views during Sunday's 4-2 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield — an incident Ange Postecoglou revealed he had no problem with after the match.

The two Spurs defenders came face-to-face at half-time shortly after falling 2-0 behind to Andy Robertson's strike, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had to intervene and pull the bickering pair away from each other.

Things went from bad to worse for Spurs as they fell 4-0 down before the hour-mark, though some scoreline respectability was rescued by a quick burst of goals from substitute Richarlison and captain Son Heung-min.

Speaking after the game, Postecoglou said he no issue with his players holding each other accountable, suggesting the pair's antics was actually a positive thing.

«They care,» Postecoglou remarked. «They are not going to just be happy with the current situation.

»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."

A run of four consecutive defeats has seen Spurs fall well behind in the race to finish fourth in the Premier League — they now sit fifth, seven points behind Aston Villa with three games to play — but Postecoglou insisted the pressure was not an issue for his side.

«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."

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