Dejan Kulusevski has admitted that Ange Postecoglou was ‘very angry’ with his Tottenham Hotspur players at halftime yesterday.
Speaking to Spurs Play after a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Kulusevski shared what Postecoglou told his Tottenham players after heading into the break 2-1 down.
Spurs took an early lead through Son Heung-Min yesterday but were instantly pegged back as the South Korean star scored an unfortunate own goal.
Phil Foden then handed City the lead just after the half-hour mark and Pep Guardiola would have been wondering how his side only managed just two goals in the first half.
But Tottenham improved dramatically after the break, with Postecoglou introducing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for Bryan Gil.
They got themselves back on level terms through Giovani Lo Celso in the 70th minute before Jack Grealish thought he’d grabbed City all three points just 12 minutes later.
Yet, Kulusevski popped up with an exceptional last-minute header to hand Spurs a deserved point on the road. And the Swede has admitted that Postecoglou wasn’t impressed with his side’s first-half display.
Kulusevski shares what Postecoglou told his Tottenham players at halftime
Speaking to Tottenham’s media team alongside Guglielmo Vicario, Kulusevski shared what Postecoglou told his Tottenham players during the break.
“Unbelievable second half,” he said. “Coach was very angry at half time and we came out like a new team.
“How Vic and the guys at the back kept playing, kept playing. Never lost the ball. Believing in themselves. I was very impressed with them.”
Kulusevski added: “He said ‘guys, please can you start playing? Stop making simple mistakes, just play. You are good enough so please just play and don’t be afraid’.
“He was very angry and it’s the first time I’ve seen him like that but he did the right thing and he’s right because the only thing we have to do is grow a little bit more.
“We are here and we can play against the best and if we do that, we will be at the top of the season, I’m sure.”
Spurs were once again without the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison yesterday.
It’s no secret that Postecoglou is trying to guide them through an ongoing injury crisis at the moment.
And while Spurs were slightly fortunate at times yesterday, they put in a spirited display considering they had several key players missing.
Postecoglou has made it clear he will set up his teams to play on the front foot, regardless of the opposition, and that second-half performance was worthy of a point against the reigning champions.