Ange Postecoglou spoke honestly about the shortcomings in his Tottenham side after they lost 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night. The Spurs head coach was also looking ahead to a tricky Premier League clash with Bournemouth to come.
Having fallen to a first-leg defeat in Europe, Postecoglou suffered yet more injury problems after Dominic Solanke went off with injury. Meanwhile, he also took a staunch position behind goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after he was the recipient of clear unrest from travelling supporters in the Netherlands.
Tottenham know that their best chance of getting back into any form of European competition next season is to win the Europa League but also risk losing yet more faith from the fans if they fall to another defeat against Andoni Iraola's upwardly mobile Bournemouth.
Here, football.london has everything Postecoglou said at Hotspur Way on Friday.
With a quick turnaround is there an update on Dominic Solanke and the other players?
No, it's too early to tell. With Dom, obviously it's a knee going into the backside so a bit sore but it's a knock so hopefully he'll be back pretty quickly.
Do you have any additional reflections from last night's game?
Not additional, no. I said after the game that we didn't perform anywhere near the level we wanted to or needed to. Disappointed. We're disappointed, I've got disappointed players who are disappointed. The tie is not over though and we get a chance to focus on that after the weekend's game because that becomes the priority.
Do the players need to show more? It's a younger team with Son Heung-Min and James Maddison, so do you need more leadership in there?
I don't think last night was a matter of individuals. As a collective we just were not anywhere near the level that we needed to be and it's tough playing away in Europe. The crowd created a really good atmosphere for the home side. They got the goal which gave them some momentum but as I said, last night was not about individuals. As a collective we were nowhere near the levels we needed to be.
Alkmaar have a free week, so are you glad to have a game because getting back out on the pitch is another opportunity?
Look, we definitely need another game to get the squad to where we need to get to. It's an opportunity to get more game time to certain guys.
The best way to put last night's disappointment to one side is to perform well at the weekend and our league form hasn't been too bad over the recent period and we want to continue that. The Europa League is a massive emphasis for us but I still want us and have a real desire to move up the table and we get that opportunity on Sunday.
Could Ben Davies be back for Sunday?
We're not really sure. He's training at the moment so we will see how he feels. He's definitely progressed and he feels good so let's see how he goes in the next 24-48 hours. He's a chance but we'll see how he goes.
You said last night you need analyse the mindset as a collective, how important could the result on Sunday be for the second leg?
Yeah, it's important and the result is the ultimate ambition for the weekend but the performance is important. It's fair to say that it's our inconsistency. Our best and our worst this year has had too much of a gap.
We've been really good at times but like last night we've been poor at times this year and we've paid the price for that. We need to rectify that and try to get more consistency in performance which will then reflect more on the results.
We need both a good performance and a good result at the weekend. Like I said, the Alkmaar game, as poor as it was, the reality is that its 1-0 and we have got them at home next week. We can focus on that after the Bournemouth game but right now that has to be our priority.
We didn't see Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero feature yesterday, how much are they in your thinking for Sunday's match?
Yeah, they're a chance. When I saw the pitch the night before [Wednesday] I made up my mind that I wasn't going to risk them. It wasn't a great pitch, and it wasn't steady underfoot. It wasn't the sort of game I thought I needed to expose them. A couple of extra days training and recovery and hopefully both are in line to feature.
Can you clear up of what happened at full-time with Guglielmo Vicario?
Vic is very, very passionate about this football club and very passionate about what we're trying to do here and he wants to win and he wants everyone on board with that. If people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup then they don't know the man that I do.
The guy is one of the purest human beings you have ever come across, mate, so whatever he does he does for what he thinks is best for the team and for the football club because he really cares.
You mentioned looking for consistency, the last few matches haven't had the free-flowing football, can you put your finger on why?
If you take away when we beat Ipswich 4-1 a couple of weeks ago and the second half against [Manchester] City we were really, really good against a very good team. But when you're inconsistent like we are, people pick moments and invariably look at your lowest points as your reference point.
If you look at last night that was nowhere near the level we need to be. We've had that kind of performance a few times this year and it's what has cost us more than anything else, the inconsistency. We need to rectify it.
What have you made of Bournemouth this season?
They've been really good and they were last year too. Andoni has a really distinct way of playing, they're really aggressive with their football both with and without the ball. They've got some very good players who are developing under them. Good challenge. For us, as I said, it's a real clear objective that we need to play well if we want to get the result that we want.
You said that the gap between your best and your worst is too big, is there a wider challenge to raise your worst level?
It's like I said, consistency and performance. It's not just about raising our worst level but about understanding the different challenges each game poses and being sure we are prepared for that.
Some of our inconsistency has come from the fact that we haven't had a consistent lineup. You bear that in mind but at the same time I still feel last might was kind of a reflection of where we are as a squad perspective. We need to embrace the challenge from the different competitions that we are in and understand that there's different ways of tackling those answers and making sure that at the bare minimum we compete at a level that at least allows us to get our base line performances higher than they are.
Do you have concerns that the group are doubting the game plan or lacking clarity over it?
They don't lack clarity over it, absolutely. They don't lack clarity. If anything I think people are saying it's too transparent but you do need conviction to play that kind of football all the time. You need belief and you need a real strong mindset because it's challenging and it doesn't allow you to veer off into a different direction. It means you stay on course and it's the only way it works.
It's fair to say last night that we weren't on the road we need to be.
Is the message to them that you do it on these terms and you play how you want to play?
That's been there from day one. I don't think there's any doubt about that. There wouldn't be anybody who has followed for us for the last 20 months who thinks anything other than that.
We are determined to go down this road and we believe, I believe, it is the way that will bring success to the club and every challenge along the way that tries to shift you away from that, that's when you have to show your resolve and determination to stay the course.
Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.