Postecoglou is ‘right man’ for struggling Tottenham, says Kulusevski

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou before the match.— Reuters/File

LONDON: Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski is convinced Ange Postecoglou is the “right man” to salvage their troubled season despite a disastrous run of results.

Spurs slipped to a sixth loss from their last seven Premier League games against relegation-threatened Leicester on Sunday and are languishing in 15th place in the table. Postecoglou said after the dismal 2-1 home defeat he was uncertain over his future as pressure mounts on the former Celtic boss.

The Australian has battled a severe injury crisis over the past two months and will be without 12 players for Thursday´s Europa League match against Swedish side Elfsborg. But he has repeatedly stated his belief that Tottenham — who are still in three cup competitions — can enjoy a “special” season.

“Yeah, I agree with him,” said 24-year-old Kulusevski, who has scored nine goals in 35 games in the current campaign. “It´s easy to focus on the league, but we´re doing really well in the cups.

“This is an important game (against Elfsborg) and if we win we go to the next round. I think we can do big things in these last four months.” A win against Elfsborg in their final Europa League group fixture would guarantee Tottenham a place in the last 16.

They won the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Liverpool 1-0 and are through to the FA Cup fourth round. Asked why Postecoglou is the right man, Kulusevski told reporters on Wednesday: “Because we had games when we showed perfect football — football that not many teams can play in the world.

“We played beautiful games against (Manchester) United (wins in the Premier League and the League Cup), against (Manchester) City 4-0, so I think he is the right man. “We play for him. We want to win for him and to be honest we have similar ideas.

“I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play the football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he´s the right man.” Kulusevski admitted Spurs had made mistakes but said they were suffering. “We are 10 to 11 fit players in four competitions and that´s not OK and that´s why the team is paying that price in the league especially,” he said.