Ange Postecoglou didn't hold back when providing his assessment of Tottenham Hotspur forward Timo Werner on Thursday night - and he's now using it as a warning to all his underachievers.
The German internationalist was brutally hooked at half-time after failing to make any notable impact against Rangers in the Europa League. In the aftermath of the 1-1 draw at Ibrox, Postecoglou labelled Werner's performance "unacceptable" and not "anywhere near the level" required.
Spurs are now winless in five games across all competitions since stunning Manchester City 4-0 on November 23.
Up next is an English Premier League away clash against Southampton on Sunday, and the Spurs manager has a clear message to his underperforming stars as he continues to navigate an injury crisis within the squad.
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Speaking at his press conference on Friday, the former Celtic boss said: "No, it wasn’t criticism. It was assessment. If we played poorly, we played poorly.
"With Timo it wasn’t about whether he played well or not. It was a difficult game last night. I’m asking 18-year-olds to do some massive jobs and you want senior players, and he’s a senior player, he's an international and he's won the Champions League, there’s a level of application and performance you need to rise to, to help the team.
"He didn’t reach that. I think me taking him off at half-time was a statement enough. The same way I won't be hiding behind poor team performances, the same with and no different for the players or anyone else. It wasn't criticism, it was just an assessment of his performance and on a really challenging night for us, which we knew going into it, it needs to be better.
"We’re in a fight here, collectively we're in a fight. I’m not going to go around worrying about people’s bruised egos. We want to achieve things, we want to be successful and we are down to the bare bones in players.
"If there is somebody in that dressing room that's fit, able to contribute, and feels like they need something extra in this moment then it's probably not the right time.
"I need guys, and we had some last night, who understand the situation we are in. We've got 15 fit players, in some positions we've only got two players.
"I'm not going to go around trying to get extra out of people. If they don't give me that extra right now then it kind of gives me an indication of where they are at."
Tottenham have fallen short at the final hurdle on several occasions over the past decade and Postecoglou was asked if this wider issue is filtering down to his current team.
"I'm sick of that," he groaned. "That's an excuse for me. I heard Cristian Romero's comments but I just think that's an excuse. At the moment, I'm here, I take responsibility. These players, they are here.
"If we think this mythical thing exists at this club that prevents success then we will change it. What's the point otherwise. Don't come here.
"I just don't buy into it. We are in a difficult situation because of kind of where we are squad wise and team wise, and you either embrace this challenge, if you want excuses then it's on me, absolutely.
"There's a million excuses as to why we can't be successful, but if that's what your clutch is then what's the point, move on, go somewhere else."
