<\/p>\n
Ange Postecoglou tried to brush off talk of a return to Tottenham as Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor\u2019s days appear to be numbered.<\/p>\n
Postecoglou joined TNT Sports\u2019 coverage of the PSG v Chelsea Champions League clash<\/a> on Thursday morning AEDT while in Paris as part of his role on UEFA\u2019s Technical Observer Panel, and took the chance to speak about his former club\u2019s current predicament.<\/p>\n Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportsmail. <\/i><\/b>Sign up now!!!<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Tottenham were battered 5-2 by Atletico Madrid<\/a> in the Spanish capital the day prior with Tudor under the pump<\/a> after conceding four goals in the opening 22 minutes and substituting debutant goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after only 17 minutes.<\/p>\n Speculation is abound that the Croatian manager will be sacked after just four games in charge, but Postecoglou attempted to downplay a potential return to north London.<\/p>\n The Australian was asked if he would ever \u201creturn to an ex\u201d and he replied \u201cno comment\u201d.<\/p>\n During his recent interview on The Overlap podcast, when talking about his former club Celtic, Postecoglou said going back is not something he has ever done.<\/p>\n That stance is unlikely to change as he takes time away from the touchline after a chaotic 2025 with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.<\/p>\n Postecoglou, who won the Europa League with Spurs last season, clearly still feels a strong connection to the Tottenham players and maintains belief in their abilities despite a disastrous night in Madrid as well as being on the brink of relegation from the Premier League.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to say and me speaking about it, kind of, tends to skew the argument,\u201d he told TNT Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s really important now – there is no way that anyone objectively would say that these players are performing at the levels they\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve just got to try and ease the pressure somehow on them. Even last night, I thought if anything it was a tremendous opportunity for them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve done really well in the Champions League. They\u2019re on the good side of the draw. Yeah Atletico away is tough, but you still got to take them back to Tottenham.\u201d<\/p>\n Postecoglou turned heads in the podcast interview with the likes of Manchester United greats Roy Keane and Gary Neville as well as Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, with his comments about Tottenham not behaving like a big club.<\/p>\n He was asked by Chelsea great Joe Cole about Spurs\u2019 lack of spending and the Australian reiterated his comments as well as stressing where Tottenham\u2019s focus needs to be right now. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a broader argument but the reality of it is they\u2019ve got to deal with it now, that\u2019s the most important thing,\u201d Postecoglou said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe football club, I said it a couple of weeks ago, wasn\u2019t behaving to me like a big football club in terms of the kind of players it was attracting.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it is a big football club, we saw that last year, there was a couple of hundred thousand people in London going nuts there and I felt it, how big a club it is.<\/p>\n \u201cBut in the Premier League it\u2019s a slippery slope once you take your eye off the ball with certain things.<\/p>\n \u201cBut all that is not important right now. What\u2019s important now is where they are in the league, they need to maintain their Premier League status which is obviously paramount to what they want to build.<\/p>\n \u201cThose kind of questions you kind of go, \u2018okay, we want some real direction here\u2019. I think it\u2019s pretty clear what Tottenham fans want \u2013 they want the team to play a certain way, they want success, every team wants success.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, multiple reports coming out of England have suggested that Tottenham\u2019s players have completing lost faith in Tudor after the defeat in Madrid.<\/p>\n The former Juventus boss\u2019 behaviour following the substitution of Kinsky did not go down well inside and outside of the club.<\/p>\n Tudor gave the cold shoulder to the 22-year-old goalkeeper, who he thrust into the starting side for his Champions League debut at the expense of usual No.1 Guglielmo Vicario, as he left the pitch in tears after two howlers with the ball at his feet gifted Atletico goals.<\/p>\n Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel said Tudor had \u201ckilled Kinsky\u2019s career\u201d.<\/p>\n While former Manchester City shot stopper Joe Hart said of Kinsky: \u201cMy heart is absolutely broken for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Consoling the youngster was left to his teammates on the bench at the time and in the dressing room at half time as well as post-match.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult situation but we as a team will definitely get around him,\u201d Tottenham defender Kevin Danso said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese things happen. Unfortunately it happened to him, but he\u2019s a great goalkeeper and he\u2019s definitely going to bounce back.\u201d<\/p>\n Kinsky won himself more fans by taking to social media in the aftermath of the toughest outing of his fledging career.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for the messages,\u201d he posted on Instagram. \u201cFrom dream to nightmare to dream again. See you.\u201d <\/p>\n Full UCL wrap sees English clubs fall | 02:35<\/p>\n Tudor, meanwhile, did himself no favours with a heartless post-match interview.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need to comment, it\u2019s not the moment to speak too much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tudor\u2019s behaviour has created a clear rift between players and manager after just four games – all of which have been losses – at the helm.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile players accept their roles in Tottenham\u2019s demise, they have been shocked by Tudor\u2019s approach and decisions since he replaced Frank on a deal until the end of the season,\u201d The Telegraph\u2019s<\/a> football news correspondent Matt Law wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWell-placed sources viewed the events in Madrid \u2013 where Antonin Kinsky was substituted after 17 minutes, with Tudor failing to acknowledge the goalkeeper as he left the field \u2013 as the final straw between the manager and his unhappy players. A source said: \u201cThere is hardly anybody, if anybody at all, in that dressing room who has any faith in him.<\/p>\n \u201cTelegraph Sport<\/i> has been told that Tudor has tried to strike up a relationship with captain Cristian Romero, but he has done little to lift the morale of the group or instil confidence in individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n It is management 101 for a coach to strike up a rapport with their players.<\/p>\n It is also crucial to pick the moments when to provide the carrot or the stick.<\/p>\n Most successful coaches in any sport have stuck by the philosophy of whacking their players in private, but throwing their arms around them in public during the tough times.<\/p>\n