Ange Postecoglou in frosty exchange with interviewer as Tottenham boss feels the heat

Ange Postecoglou had a frosty exchange with a journalist after Tottenham's 3-2 defeat to Spurs.

Tottenham remain stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League table, just eight points above the bottom three.

Spurs are yet to win a Premier League game this calendar year, with Everton ripping their backline to shreds during a grueling first half.

Strikes from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye put Everton into a 2-0 lead, with an Archie Gray own goal adding salt to their wounds just before the break.

The capital club at least fought back in the second half, but goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison came too little, too late.

It was another disappointing result for Spurs and it was clear Postecoglou was feeling the heat during his post-match debrief.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the Australian was asked if the defeat to Everton was a “familiar story” – a reference to Tottenham's miserable form of late.

Unhappy with the interviewer's suggestion, Postecoglou responded: “A familiar story? Yeah, right. Great way to start an interview.”

The former Celtic manager then responded to the question, adding: “It was a difficult result for us, obviously in the first half we struggled to take control of the game.

“[I] made some changes to the team that probably weren't helpful in the end. I had players who had difficulty accepting it. Everton took advantage. In the second half, the players provided the right response. Yes, that’s to their credit, but obviously we didn’t succeed.”

Given that Spurs' last league win came in mid-December, talk over Postecoglou's future has started to intensify in recent weeks.

But when asked by Sky Sports about his approach, the unwavering Australian doubled down on his expansive style of play. He said: “If you look at the situation we find ourselves in, it will eventually dissipate.

“I hope and believe that this will be the case. We will give ourselves the opportunity to achieve some consistency in our performances and our results. I have certainly not lost the conviction or the determination to turn the situation around and the players showed in the second half that they had not lost either.”

On Spurs' performance in general, he added: “We are quite stretched. We literally had 11 players fit enough to start the game. We didn't have full control of our organization and Everton took advantage of that and we we paid the price. [Dragusin] had to withdraw due to the deep cut and restructuring.

“In the second half we had a good share of the game. We started strong and I thought Richarlison was the difference and a presence and Mikey Moore gave us something on the left.”

Spurs return to action against Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday evening.