Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has defended his team this week.

The Australian was furious with his players after a poor 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Thursday.

As their Champions League hopes slip away, Postecoglou does not believe the players are hiding.

He stated: “No I don't think so. I don't think anyone has shirked it and I don't think it's for a lack of effort or desire. But like I said, if you haven't been put in that situation before it's confronting, challenging and it's how you navigate your way through that. Like I said, sometimes it's on an individual basis. My kind of role in that is always the collective, about the environment, how we can create an environment that they feel like they can embrace that challenge.

“I don't think it's for a want of trying, I really don't. I don't think it's through a lack of effort in any way as for me I go on and measure that with the way we're training and the way we're sort of playing in games. Last night was disappointing from a defensive pressing aspect because that has been pretty consistent all year, so that was the one area I was really disappointed with but in general the lads were still trying to play and embed our principles."

He added on next season and a title challenge: “We're a long way off but it doesn't mean we can't challenge next year. I don't know which other way to put it. I think in terms of the team I want us to be we're a fair way off, but I am not dismissing the fact that we have to be competitive and challenge for success every year I am here.

"I am not going to dismiss any year as just a building year. Every year is a building year to get to where we want to, but it is also an opportunity for us to have success. As it was this year and we've fallen short of that."