Heung-min Son delivered a candid assessment of his team’s performance following Tottenham’s “unacceptable” 3-0 loss against Fulham.
Rodrigo Muniz’s brace and Sasa Lukic’s goal dealt a blow to Spurs, marking their second defeat in four games and dampening their aspirations of climbing to fourth place in the Premier League standings.
Ange Postecoglou’s side exhibited a lackluster display at Craven Cottage, contrasting sharply with their impressive 4-0 victory over Aston Villa the previous week. Son expressed his dismay after their recent defeat.
In his post-match remarks, Son didn’t mince words in expressing his frustration with the current situation.
“It is very disappointing and very frustrating and everybody has to look in the mirror and say, ‘It’s my fault’,” he told reporters.
Tottenham Hotspur Team (Via Premier League/Twitter)
“Because it was not good enough and it’s not the level of effort we’ve put in this season. The attitude, and the performance were not good enough.
For everyone, it’s a big, big wake-up call. In the Premier League, if you’re not 100 per cent ready you get punished like this. Aston Villa are an amazing team but so are Fulham, everybody has high-quality players.
“But if you’re not giving 100 per cent, including me, that’s what you get. You get punished. Especially because last season we had amazing results [against Fulham] doesn’t mean you get three points for free.
It’s a big wake-up call and the result has happened so you have to make it two steps backwards and make some strong steps forward.”Son characterized the performance as “unacceptable” and later extended an apology to Tottenham’s fans during an interview with the club’s official media.
“It is unacceptable but you always have lessons and, including me it was unacceptable, we know where we are – not in terms of [the table] or points – but we’re representing Tottenham. This [game] wasn’t close to where we’ve been all this season,” he said.
Heung-min Son (Via Premier League/Twitter)
“It’s very, very sad to watch and very, very sad to get a result like that – and also the fans don’t deserve it. They came here with positive energy and good vibes, and losing this way is very, very tough.
The players are very down and this is normal, we now have to make it two steps backwards and another strong few steps forward because after the international break we have a massive game.
“I can’t describe the feeling. I’m devastated, disappointed, frustrated. As the captain of this club I just want to apologise to the fans, they don’t deserve that result and that performance.
“We can’t just give up in these games, we have to give everything we have – including me – we have to do better. After the international break we have to come back stronger than ever.
I don’t want to blame any player because we weren’t good enough. Fulham did a good job but the goals came of our mistakes. We can talk about it all night but the performance and attitude was nowhere near close to what we’ve put in this season.”
Tottenham, aiming to break into the top four with a victory before the international break, fell short. Nonetheless, they aspire to return with renewed vigor after two weeks, when they host Luton Town on March 30.
