Ange Postecoglou has vowed to turn around Tottenham’s season ahead of a daunting return to Scotland on Thursday.
Spurs suffered a painful 4-3 loss at home to Chelsea on Sunday to drop to 11th in the Premier League.
Tottenham have won only one of their last seven matches – a remarkable 4-0 victory at Manchester City – amid a gruelling fixture list and a growing number of absentees.
Cristian Romero will return to the treatment table ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie at Rangers where a hostile atmosphere will greet ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou, but the 59-year-old remains determined to succeed in England.
He said: “My role now is to focus on the things I can control and keep preparing the team the best we can to keep progressing as a football team and turn our season around.
“When I look at the performance, I don’t see them lacking confidence or belief. It’s probably the other way. Both penalties we conceded were borne out of desperation.
“I think they are desperate to turn our season around and are really disappointed how it has gone. When you’re in that mood you kind of lose that composure and discipline you need.
“It’s not like we are hanging on in games. We wouldn’t play like we did if there was a lack of belief and confidence.
“When you get into this situation we are in, there is also a sense of desperation from the players and I thought that cost us.”
Postecoglou was boosted before Chelsea’s visit by Romero and Micky Van De Ven being fit enough to start, but the former lasted only 15 minutes.
Van De Ven also had to be replaced in the 79th minute and Brennan Johnson was another player to be withdrawn.
The prognosis on Van De Ven and Johnson was positive, but Romero – only back from a toe issue – will join Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Ben Davies (hamstring), Mikey Moore (virus), Wilson Odobert and Richarlison (both hamstring) on the sidelines again.
“Romero is just obviously hugely disappointing. He felt something in his quad,” Postecoglou revealed.
“Brennan just didn’t feel well. He didn’t feel well at half-time but he wanted to give it a go, but he just wasn’t feeling 100 per cent.
“I thought Romero would be OK to play 90 (minutes), but Mickey, probably 60 to 70, so we were always going to take him off. He didn’t feel anything significant, he just felt tightness.
“We just don’t seem to get that sort of ability to just gain some traction. Every time we’ve seemed to, something comes along and disrupts us.
“People keep referring to the City game and we lost Vic straight afterwards for three months, so it seems like we’re just not able to do that, but like you said, they’re uncontrollables.
“My role is to try and maintain the course of the things we can control and keep making sure we’re focused on continuing to grow as a team.”
Chelsea are in a different moment after an eighth win in 12 under Enzo Maresca and Cole Palmer was happy to give the fans of the second-placed club a result to savour.
“It’s good we got three points,” Palmer told the official club website.
“The squad morale is great at the moment and we just want to keep going. To be on the winning side is good.”
On the Chelsea supporters, Palmer admitted: “They’ve had a tough couple of years before I got here and last season was tough in parts as well, but I’m happy to see them smiling and enjoying it – that’s what it’s all about.”
Maresca said of Palmer: “Cole belongs to that type of player and they are not normal players. They are top players.”