Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-2 at home to Newcastle United in the 20th round of the Premier League, and before the smoke had cleared from the game, Tottenham coach Postecoglou went straight to the camera to comment on the game and controversial topics.
Postecoglou began by commenting on the team with pride, "I couldn't be prouder of the players' performance despite the frustrating result. Their performance on the field was exceptional, and despite the strength of our opponents, we still had our chances. It was a great matchup, and if not for certain factors, we would have laughed in the end."
Facing a question about the controversial penalty for Newcastle United's first goal, Postecoglou deftly skirted around it, "I don't want to mention that penalty again. I understand what people want to hear, but my point is simple: in a fair, equal and logical game, we should have won."
Postecoglou was full of praise for the performance of new signing Brandon Austin: "His performance was impeccable and every player deserves credit. In the face of all the adversity, such as Radu and Archie playing with injuries, and Brandon making sure to come on at the last minute, I'm so proud of them."
Speaking about the team's recent outbreak of illness, Postecoglou revealed, "It's an illness that has kept players like Radu, Archie, and Frazier bedridden all week. We actually only had 11 healthy players at practice on Thursday. But I don't care about that, all I care about is that the players showed great athleticism and wonderful soccer skills."
On the decision to place Bissouma, Maddison and Son on the bench, Postecoglou explained, "It was well thought out. I think we needed speed and energy early in the game and the experience of the substitutes played a key role in the second half. I think our strategy worked, especially towards the end of the game when we came out strong."
Speaking about Dominic Solanke's outstanding performance in front of Tuchel, Postecoglou said, "He did play great, but I think the whole team deserves credit. To put in a performance like that in the face of the struggles we've been through, I take my hat off to the players."
When asked if the performance gave him confidence in turning things around, Postecoglou responded firmly: "I never lack confidence. I know we didn't do well, but I see a lot of positives. We need to win games and usually when you play well and do most things right, you get rewarded. Unfortunately, this time we weren't able to do that."
Finally, faced with a direct question about whether or not he was angry with the referee's enforcement, Postecoglou once again chose to remain silent: "I know you want me to comment, but I won't. I think that's clear enough. I'm not interested in that type of discussion. What I will say is that in any fair, equal, logical game, we would have won."
