Postecoglou defends Romero & Emerson Royal after their spat against Liverpool

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.

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