Ange Postecoglou has spoken about Tottenham's injury hell after a drought-breaking 4-1 win against Newcastle on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Brazilian striker Richarlison scored a double after Destiny Udogie's opener, with captain Son Heung-min capping the victory off with a late penalty at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was Spurs' first win in five Premier League matches after suffering four defeats against Chelsea (1-4), Wolves (1-2), Aston Villa (1-2) and West Ham (1-2), and a draw versus Manchester City (3-3).
MORE: Tottenham back on track after dismantling Newcastle led by Richarlison and Son
Tottenham's run of poor form coincided with a series of key injuries, with the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Pape Sarr and Eric Dier all absent for significant periods.
But with Richarlison and Sarr returning to play key roles in the thrashing of Newcastle, Postecoglou revealed just how significant Tottenham's injuries were to their recent performances.
"I have been struggling with [our injuries] a little bit all week because we're trying to build something here and part of that is through the tough periods to not allow the lads too much latitude in terms of excuses but the reality is and I have probably been too hard on them in retrospect but we got decimated after the Chelsea game," Postecoglou said post-match.
"And it is no coincidence that now we are getting some players back that we are starting to look a lot stronger. I will not speak on Eddie Howe's behalf but I can see what he's going through and in this league if you have one or two key players out, you're going to struggle.
"You mentioned James (Maddison) and Micky (Van de Ven) but you missed out (Rodrigo) Bentancur, how important (Ivan) Perisic was and when we won those games late, he was the one providing and Manor Solomon. I could go on and on.
"It sounds like excuses but that is the reality of the Premier League and you don't need too much analysis to see why in the last few weeks we haven't been as conclusive in our results as we were earlier in the year. And when I analyse the performances, I've asked guys and I don't know how many positions Deki Kulusevski has played. Ben Davies has turned into a centre-back now, we had Emerson at centre-back, so all these kind of things, there is some logic as to why we slipped a little bit."
🎙️ “I’m pleased for the lads, they got a reward for a strong performance. We were more effective in the front third and defensively we were outstanding.”
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 10, 2023
Ange reflects on our victory at @SpursStadium 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/1EdKnblzQn
The win against the Magpies sees Tottenham in fifth position on the Premier League table, three points behind fourth-placed Man City and seven adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Spurs' next match is a Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday morning (7am AEDT).
