Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says he is battling a “negative agenda” against the club where even good days are seen from a “glass half-empty” perspective.
Spurs are a lowly 14th after 31 games in the Premier League as they toil in an injury-hit season, and under-pressure Postecoglou says he detects an outside view that he is “gone anyway” even if the team win the Europa League.
They face Eintracht Frankfurt in their European quarter-final on Thursday.
The competition offers Spurs their final hope of silverware this campaign as Postecoglou, 59, looks to maintain his record of “always winning” trophies in his second season at a club.
It also provides a route into next season’s Champions League for the winners.
Tottenham beat Southampton 3-1 on domestic league duty on Sunday, but post-match narrative centred around on-loan Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel taking a stoppage-time penalty rather than letting Brennan Johnson attempt to complete a hat-trick.
“I just think we’re in that position now where even the good stuff we do is going to be turned into a glass half-empty rhetoric,” said Postecoglou.
“The one slight against this club is that it hasn’t been a winner. The winners’ mentality in the last minute is to score. We scored and somehow, in this alternate universe, everything Tottenham does is negative.”
