Tottenham: Angry Ange Postecoglou slams Spurs as 'nowhere near good enough' in Arsenal defeat | OneFootball

Seething Postecoglou admits his passive side were not ‘anywhere near the level’ they need to be at in north London derby loss

Ange Postecoglou slammed Tottenham’s performance in the north London derby defeat by Arsenal as “unacceptable” and says he hopes his players are hurting.

Heung-min Son’s deflected strike gave the visitors the lead against the run of play but Dominic Solanke’s own goal – after Gabriel met Declan Rice's corner at the back post – levelled the match.

Leandro Trossard arrowed home a fine strike just before the interval to move Arsenal to within four points of leaders Liverpool and leave Postecoglou seething at his players.

“Not good enough, especially the first half,” the Spurs head coach said of the performance. “Way too passive, allowed Arsenal to take control of the game.

“Really disappointed with the way we, both with and without the ball, allowed them to dictate the tempo and paid a price for it. The second half was a little bit better but nowhere near good enough."

Postecoglou felt Arsenal should not have been awarded a corner for their leveller after the ball went out of play via a touch from Trossard but refused to make excuses and was particulary frustrated at the way his side squandered possession ahead of the Belgian's winner.

"It wasn’t a corner. It’s how things are going for us at the moment," he said. "But that aside, we weren’t anywhere near the level we needed to be in that first half in such a big game. We have got to understand that what we can control is the first thing we need to focus on.

“I think that second goal is endemic of our whole first half. Irrespective of everything else, like I said, we just didn’t play anywhere near the identity I want us to be.

“We are an aggressive team with and without the ball, we have shown that. We showed that seven days ago against Liverpool.

“Tonight, especially in that first 45, we were way too passive and that’s not acceptable. When you do that, these kinds of things creep in.

"It was a disappointing goal the second goal to concede but it’s not like we were playing anywhere near the level we needed to.

“Like I said, second half was a little bit better and we certainly caused them a few more problems with and without the ball but it wasn’t enough.”

Asked if Spurs’ two 18-year-olds, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, could at least be encouraged by their displays, Postecoglou continued: “I hope not. I want them disappointed.

“This can’t be accepted by anyone at the club. Us losing so many games in a league season is not right.

“I know we are going through a tough trot and are asking big jobs but I hope they are hurting, the 18-year-olds, as much as anybody else in terms of us not being able to deliver on a big night.”

Spurs have now taken just five points from the last available 27 in the league and only beaten bottom club Southampton since their win at the Etihad Stadium.

On Sunday, they visit Everton, now under a new head coach in David Moyes, with Postecoglou saying they must start improving their dismal league form.

“You've got no choice,” he said. “There's no magic cure.

“You've got to get up tomorrow, work hard and go into Sunday and prepare to go into battle and turn around our fortunes and our season.

“There's nothing magical that's going to change it. There's always reasons for all these things to happen.

“The reality is that our results and our form in the league has been nowhere near good enough. That needs to change.”