'You can judge me - but don't criticise my outstanding Spurs players'
In a season in which Ange Postecoglou has watched his side suffer repeated blows, the look on the Tottenham manager's face just 57 seconds into their FA Cup loss to Aston Villa said it all.
The Spurs boss stood motionless with a look of resignation after watching his side fall behind inside the opening minute at Villa Park, where they would crash out of a second domestic cup competition in four days.
The pain of Thursday's insipid Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Liverpool, who dismissed Spurs' first-leg advantage with a 4-0 thrashing at Anfield, had barely subsided.
But Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Villa now leaves the Europa League as the only route for Postecoglou to uphold his claim that he "always" wins a trophy in his second season at a club.
Yet, amid the team's plight, it is not the manager but the owner, Daniel Levy, who has become the lightning rod of supporter discontent, with chants of "we want Levy out" heard from the away section over a perceived lack of investment in the squad.
Postecoglou has repeatedly referred to the club's injury crisis when defending his side's poor results this term and the Spurs boss offered a staunch post-match defence of his players when asked if he felt it would only be fair to judge him once key individuals had returned.
"People can judge me. They can say I've done a bad job, I'm not up to it or whatever. That's fine," Postecoglou said.
"What I'm saying is you can't be critical of our players' performances at this time.
"If you want to measure anything on what they're doing at the moment, other than the extreme situation they're dealing with, then I think your analysis is skewed and it's not objective.
"If it's to get rid of me that's fine. Good on you. Go for it a million times. But in terms of this group of players, what they've given over the past two and a half months has been outstanding."
What's going on at Tottenham - and who's to blame?
After achieving Tottenham's best start to a Premier League campaign in his first season in north London, Postecoglou's side have struggled to progress this term.
Following a disastrous week the Europa League now represents Spurs' final hope of ending a 17-year wait for silverware, given they are languishing in 14th with more than two-thirds of the Premier League season played.
But throughout each new low, Postecoglou has pointed critics towards the names absent from his matchday squads.
As many as 12 first-team players were absent for the late January win over Elfsborg, which secured passage to the Europa League last 16.
"[It's been] Two and a half months of asking 17-year-olds, 18-year-olds and senior players with no rest to play Thursday and Sunday [every week]. If you think that is not at all a factor in how this team is performing, then there's nothing else I can say," said Postecoglou.
"I think this group of players, once we get the rest of the group in, will be an outstanding team. I have no doubt about that. Whether other people can see that is of no interest to me."
Despite their injury woes, Spurs went into the final day of the transfer window having not signed an outfield player, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky's £12.5m move from Slavia Prague their only addition until France Under-21 forward Mathys Tel signed on loan from Bayern Munich before the deadline.
It is that apparent reluctance to invest in the squad - in contrast to that which has been spent on the development of infrastructure, including building a world-class stadium - which has led to supporter frustration boiling over.
"We talk about the pressure that Ange Postecoglou is under. If you speak to Spurs fans it is obvious what they want - and it's not to do with the manager," Alan Shearer said on BBC One.
"We heard the Tottenham fans and it has been constant. They want [Levy] out and they feel he is to blame. Having said that, you shouldn't be [waiting for] a reaction until 10 minutes into the second half when you have been done at Anfield like that. That has to come straight away - and that can only come from the manager."
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'Playing with fear' - but what next for Spurs?
While a significant week in Tottenham's season ultimately ended in bitter disappointment, it will at least spare Postecoglou's bruised squad from repeatedly playing twice a week, allowing them to get players back and concentrate their efforts on Europa League success and climbing the Premier League table.
With the Europa League last 16 not taking place until March, Spurs have three league games against Manchester United, Ipswich Town and Manchester City spread over the next three weeks.
Postecoglou will hope to see signs of recovery during that run, from a squad currently devoid of confidence.
"Tottenham mean well but they are playing with fear," former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who played under Postecoglou at Celtic, said on BBC One.
"It is a tough moment and you can see Postecoglou feels it. He is being tested in his belief, he is asking questions of himself. But that is where you need support.
"You need everyone on the same page. You have the fans pulling in one direction, Postecoglou fronting up talking about injuries, and players who know they should be playing better. It's not a good recipe."
Despite Postecoglou's praise, fellow pundit Dion Dublin said he believed members of the Tottenham team were currently "hiding".
"The players who should be giving options don't have the confidence to have the ball in positions where they should receive it, they don't back themselves," Dublin said.
"We used to call it hiding, going into a position where you can't receive it. Son Heung-min, he is their best player and he is going through that phase."
'What would sacking Postecoglou achieve?'
Analysis by BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella
There is no doubt Tottenham are underperforming and, seemingly, getting worse, but what would sacking Ange Postecoglou achieve?
The next question would be who would want to manage in his place, mid-season, during an injury crisis and with no silverware except the Europa League to win?
Perhaps justifiably so, Postecoglou will argue that he should at least be judged when Spurs have their injured players back, with the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison due back in the next fortnight.
And Spurs will also have a free week for just the second time since August to get their tired players some rest.
That will be an argument chairman Daniel Levy must consider when weighing up whether to make a change.
But he may also need to consider how it would look to the supporters, as he finds himself under increasing scrutiny, facing a protest in next Sunday's game at home to Manchester United.
