Spurs players look 'lost' after Atletico Madrid drubbing, Igor Tudor must instil belief

Spurs players look 'lost' after Atletico Madrid drubbing, Igor Tudor must instil belief - Ange Postecoglou

It was a night to forget for Tottenham Hotspur against Atletico Madrid as a nightmare opening 15 minutes set the tone for another difficult defeat. Igor Tudor is already under pressure just four games into his tenure and ex-Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou spoke to TNT Sports about the worrying state of affairs at the club, with relegation from the Premier League a real possibility.

Former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou said the club's players look "lost" after their 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg.

Spurs found themselves 3-0 down after just 15 minutes in the Spanish capital and goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was substituted soon after in an error-strewn first half.

Interim head coach Igor Tudor, who has lost all four of his games since replacing Thomas Frank, is under increasing pressure, and Postecoglou suggested the key to turning things around is to restore the players' belief.

"It pains me to see it," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "It looks like the players are fairly lost at the moment. There's obvious pressure there and it's a real difficult time.

"It all manifested itself in what happened last night - kind of the worst case scenario playing against a side away from home in Atletico who never drop their performance level. It was a horror start for them."

Asked what Spurs need to inspire an upturn in fortunes, he added: "There is no way that anyone objectively would say these players are performing at the levels they're capable of. You've got to try and ease the pressure on them.

"Even last night, I thought it was tremendous opportunity for them because they've done well in the Champions League, they're on the good side of the draw. Atletico away's tough but you've still got to take them back to Tottenham.

"I'm sure they've trained on that pitch before but the amount of times they were slipping over, I think that's still pressure, a real desperation in everything you do. Mentally, you're desperate and that manifests in a physical way, rushing things.

"It's hard to comment from the outside but for me it's about instilling some belief: show them the players they are, not the players they can be."

Postecoglou also offered his sympathy to Kinsky, whose two errors led to his premature substitution in Madrid.

"I really felt for Tony. I brought him to the club, he's an outstanding young keeper," the Australian said. "He's unbelievable. He's a fairly confident young man.

"That would've hurt him last night. We all know how brutal the football industry is, you've got to rebound from that.

"I felt for the players and fans last night because I know it's not the level they're capable of."

Having been heavily beaten in the Champions League, Spurs will now turn their attention to their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League, with a trip to champions Liverpool on Sunday.

And Postecoglou urged his former players not to make the "wrong" kind of history.

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"If I was there now that's what I'd be saying to them: don't go into history for the wrong thing now," he added.

"There's a great motivation for you, don't be the group that takes a backwards step now, because they were the group that brought success after 17 years [by winning the UEFA Europa League]."

Asked whether there is enough character in the dressing room to survive, Postecoglou said: "There is. Let me tell you, for us to win the Europa League last year, if there wasn't character we wouldn't be able to do it.

"We were under pressure last year too but I saw a group of players absolutely focused on creating something special. It exists."

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