Dejan Kulusevski insists Tottenham must ‘change for the better’ after their heavy defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs were beaten 6-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Arne Slot’s Reds ran riot in north London, thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.
Kulusevski was among Spurs’ goals, alongside James Maddison and Dominic Solanke, but it was a largely miserable evening for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
The Australian, who kept the same squad after Thursday’s 4-3 win over Manchester United, was without several key defensive players, including Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Enter 💪🔴 #TOTLIV pic.twitter.com/abECvx8l3V
–Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 22, 2024
The injury list is proving costly: Postecoglou’s side have now conceded 10 goals in their last two home league matches and now find themselves in the bottom half of the table despite being the division’s top scorers .
And Kulusevski believes Spurs must learn from the defeat.
“You have to improve, you have to find ways,” said the Sweden international.
“Maybe we should let them [Liverpool] have the ball more, but you know, that’s not how we play. So we went out, we gave it our all. It didn’t work, maybe we [will] learn for next time.
“We have to think about how are we doing physically? Who’s playing? How many games did we play last week? Who are we playing? Did they rest for a week or something?
“You have to put everything in because it’s like life. It’s not just black and white. Many factors come into play.
“We have to learn because we conceded six goals. I can’t sit here and say we’re doing something perfectly, we’re not. We must change a little for the better, always try to change for the better.
Son Heung-min is level with Harry Kane today 🤝
Only Hugo Lloris (361) has more Premier League appearances for Spurs.#TOTLIV pic.twitter.com/wHiVRnpoC7
– BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 22, 2024
Postecoglou, meanwhile, was unable to hide his frustration when asked by a BBC reporter if anything other than Tottenham’s injuries was to blame for his side’s recent struggles.
“I’m just going to stop answering these questions,” Postecoglou said. “If people can’t see the obvious, I’m not going to point it out.
“Make of it what you will, yes, we concede goals. If you want to ignore the fact that we are missing a goalkeeper, two central defenders and a left-back, it has not coincided with what we are doing.
“I don’t know what to say anymore. I think people make their decision in their own way. Either they think what I’m doing is good or it’s bad, and that’s fine.
Next up for Spurs is a meeting with their former manager Nuno Espirito Santo when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
