(foto: Getty Images)
Ange Postecoglou expressed sympathy for Ruben Amorim after Tottenham edged past an injury-hit Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday.
The result lifted Spurs to 12th place, while United slipped to 15th in the Premier League standings.
James Maddison’s early goal proved decisive in a clash between two teams struggling to meet expectations this season. Amorim's problems deepened after Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez were ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. He was already missing Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen, Kobbie Mainoo, and Luke Shaw, forcing him to name eight teenagers on his nine-man bench.
Postecoglou, whose second season at Spurs has been marred by injuries, could relate to the challenge. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Dominic Solanke were absent again, but Maddison and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario returned to help secure Tottenham’s first home league win since November.
"I could see today Ruben had to put a team together, players out of position, kids on the bench," said Postecoglou. "Welcome to my world. And that’s for one game. Now do that for two months, for any club."
Injuries have been a defining factor in the Premier League this season. Manchester City have struggled without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, while Arsenal are pushing for the title without a recognized striker.
Postecoglou has faced criticism over his high-intensity training methods, with some suggesting they have contributed to Tottenham’s injury crisis. However, the Australian believes fixture congestion will lead to more teams facing similar struggles.
"We're not going to be the only ones. I've foreshadowed this for a while," he added. "There will be a few that come to my world in the next period, and people will see that it's not just about the people involved but the circumstances we've been dealt."
Amorim has now won just four of his 14 league games since taking over in November. Once again, poor finishing cost United as Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee missed key chances to cancel out Maddison’s 13th-minute goal.
United's total of 28 goals in 25 league matches is the fifth-lowest in the division. "In the end, they scored, we didn’t. That was the big difference," said Amorim. "We had a lot of chances, but they took one, and we didn’t."
Defender Matthijs de Ligt admitted United’s lack of aggression in front of goal is a growing concern. "I think the urgency, the hunger to score—that is something that may be lacking," said the Dutch international. "It's not just on the attackers, but also on the midfield and defenders. It’s a team issue, and we definitely need to improve."
De Ligt also pointed to a crisis of confidence affecting the squad. "Confidence has taken a real hit, especially in the Premier League," he said. "If you lose confidence, you lose games."