Ange Postecoglou lays into ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ Timo Werner – just a day after he claimed he wouldn’t criticise players in public – having dragged him off at half-time in Rangers draw for lack of ‘trying’

Ange Postecoglou blasted Timo Werner for his performance after taking the Germany international off the pitch at half-time against Rangers.

Werner was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski who saved a point for Tottenham with a late equalizer at Ibrox.

“He wasn’t playing anywhere near the level he should be playing,” Postecoglou said when asked if the change was tactical. “When you have 18-year-olds, that’s not acceptable to me. That’s what I said to Timo.

‘He is a senior international, he is a German international. At the moment we’re in right now, it’s not like we have many options.

‘I want everyone to at least try to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half was not acceptable.’

Tottenham are mired in an injury crisis and need to patch up at the back, missing three centre-backs, their number one goalkeeper and two strikers.

The Germany international was roped in by his manager against the Scottish giants at half-time

“It’s not really worrying,” Postecoglou said, when asked how Werner had taken the criticism. ‘We need everyone, including him, to contribute. Because we don’t have the depth to discount people when they perform poorly.

‘We need them to play their role. Especially the seniors. When I ask younger guys to do big jobs. I expect a level of performance from some seniors. And today that wasn’t the case.’

Postecoglou’s criticism of Werner came just 24 hours after he claimed he would not publicly engage one of his players when discussing Cristian Romero’s comments about Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

Romero suggested after Spurs’ 4-2 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday that the club’s failure to challenge for major trophies was due to their lack of spending in the transfer market.

The Argentine defender told Telemundo Deportes: ‘Manchester City competes every year, you see Liverpool strengthening their squad, Chelsea strengthening their squad, not doing well, getting stronger again, and now they are seeing results. Those are the things you have to imitate.

‘You have to realize that something is going wrong, hopefully they realize that.

‘In recent years it has always been the same: first the players change, then the coaching staff changes, and it is always the same people who are responsible.

‘Hopefully they realize who the real people responsible are and we move on, because it’s a wonderful club that, with the structure it has, could easily challenge for the title every year.’

Postecoglou responded by stating that Romero was wrong to express his opinion in public.

“A lot of what he said was good. Some of what he said was wrong,” Postecoglou said on Wednesday.

Postecoglou’s criticism of Werner came after he said he would never incite his players in public following Cristian Romero’s comments about Daniel Levy.

Postecoglou said Romero was wrong when he spoke out publicly about Tottenham’s lack of spending under Levy

‘This shouldn’t happen in public. “I believe we have to deal with these things within our own four walls because there are always issues that we have to deal with, just like I wouldn’t publicly criticize a player or anyone else.”

But he refused to defend Werner’s performance on Thursday evening, despite Tottenham fighting back to earn a draw after going behind.

Overall, the Spurs boss was satisfied with a point.

“We were nowhere near our best,” Postecoglou said. ‘Others must judge whether it is a fair result.

‘But in the period of matches that we are fighting through, with a depleted squad, where players are asked to stand up week in week out, that is a good result.

‘In the context of where we are in Europe now, with the next games in the new year giving us the opportunity to be in a better place, I think this is a pretty good point. We look back on this as an important point.’