Ange Postecoglou gives his verdict on 'lost' Tottenham under Igor Tudor amid relegation battle

Tottenham are facing a genuine crisis as former boss Postecoglou warned that the current squad looks "lost" under interim manager Tudor. Not only did they lose 5-2 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the north London side are just one point above the Premier League relegation zone with just nine games remaining in a dismal season.

Tudor, who took the reins after Thomas Frank's departure, has endured a torrid start, losing all four of his matches in charge. The team’s lack of identity has prompted Postecoglou to speak out on the psychological fragility of a squad that appears to be in freefall.

Postecoglou, speaking to TNT Sports, expressed his pain at seeing his former side crumble, noting that the players are failing to meet the standards they set during his own tenure at the helm.

"It pains me to see it," Postecoglou admitted. "It looks like the players are fairly lost at the moment. There's obvious pressure there and it's a real difficult time. It all manifested itself in what happened last night - kind of the worst case scenario playing against a side away from home in Atletico who never drop their performance level. It was a horror start for them.

"There is no way that anyone objectively would say these players are performing at the levels they're capable of. You've got to try and ease the pressure on them. Even last night, I thought it was tremendous opportunity for them because they've done well in the Champions League, they're on the good side of the draw. Atletico away's tough but you've still got to take them back to Tottenham.

"I'm sure they've trained on that pitch before but the amount of times they were slipping over, I think that's still pressure, a real desperation in everything you do. Mentally, you're desperate and that manifests in a physical way, rushing things. It's hard to comment from the outside but for me it's about instilling some belief: show them the players they are, not the players they can be."

With a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool looming, Postecoglou has urged the dressing room to find the character that saw them lift the Europa League trophy just one year ago. He warned that the club cannot afford to take another "backwards step" as they battle to maintain their top-flight status amid growing pressure on Tudor to be replaced by a permanent appointment. 

"If I was there now that's what I'd be saying to them: don't go into history for the wrong thing now," Postecoglou said. "There's a great motivation for you, don't be the group that takes a backwards step now, because they were the group that brought success after 17 years [by winning the UEFA Europa League].

"Let me tell you, for us to win the Europa League last year, if there wasn't character we wouldn't be able to do it. We were under pressure last year too but I saw a group of players absolutely focused on creating something special. It exists."

After a trip to Liverpool this weekend, Spurs will face Atletico at home in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie. They then face eight remaining Premier League matches in their bid to stay in England's top flight, including games against Chelsea, Aston Villa, and relegation rivals Leeds United.