Heung-min Son made a candid evaluation of his team's performance after Tottenham's "unacceptable" 3-0 defeat against Fulham.
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Tottenham beaten 3-0 by the CottagersInsipid display from Son & CoA major jolt to top-four ambitionsGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Rodrigo Muniz's brace and Sasa Lukic's goal condemned Spurs to their second loss in four games on Saturday afternoon, denting their hopes of climbing to fourth place in the Premier League standings. Ange Postecoglou's side appeared lacklustre at Craven Cottage following a sharp display in their 4-0 victory over Aston Villa last week and Son was distraught after their latest defeat.
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Speaking after the match, Son did not hold back while expressing his frustration at the current situation.
“It is very disappointing and very frustrating and everybody has to look in the mirror and say, ‘It’s my fault’,” he told reporters.
“Because it was not good enough and it’s not the level of effort we’ve put in this season. The attitude, and the performance were not good enough. For everyone, it’s a big, big wake-up call. In the Premier League, if you’re not 100 per cent ready you get punished like this. Aston Villa are an amazing team but so are Fulham, everybody has high-quality players.
“But if you’re not giving 100 per cent, including me, that’s what you get. You get punished. Especially because last season we had amazing results [against Fulham] doesn’t mean you get three points for free. It’s a big wake-up call and the result has happened so you have to make it two steps backwards and make some strong steps forward."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Son went on to label the performance as "unacceptable" and later even apologised to Tottenham’s fans during an interview with the club’s official media.
"It is unacceptable but you always have lessons and, including me it was unacceptable, we know where we are – not in terms of [the table] or points – but we’re representing Tottenham. This [game] wasn’t close to where we’ve been all this season," he said.
It’s very, very sad to watch and very, very sad to get a result like that – and also the fans don’t deserve it. They came here with positive energy and good vibes, and losing this way is very, very tough. The players are very down and this is normal, we now have to make it two steps backwards and another strong few steps forward because after the international break we have a massive game.
"I can’t describe the feeling. I’m devastated, disappointed, frustrated. As the captain of this club I just want to apologise to the fans, they don’t deserve that result and that performance.
“We can’t just give up in these games, we have to give everything we have – including me – we have to do better. After the international break we have to come back stronger than ever. I don’t want to blame any player because we weren’t good enough. Fulham did a good job but the goals came of our mistakes. We can talk about it all night but the performance and attitude was nowhere near close to what we’ve put in this season.”
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Tottenham would have wanted to break into the top four with a win before the international break but they fell flat. Nonetheless, they will hope to return with renewed vigour after two weeks when they host Luton Town on March 30.