Ange Postecoglou said he will not stop asking Fraser Forster to play from the back despite two howlers from the back-up goalkeeper in Tottenham's 4-3 win over Manchester United.
Forster's errors, both with the ball at his feet, threatened to undo all of Tottenham's good work to give themselves a three-goal buffer in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, before Heung-Min Son saw them over the line for a set-piece late in the quarter. until the semi-final clash with Liverpool.
Both mistakes were booed by the home crowd, with Spurs fans fearing another collapse this season, having already blown two-goal leads against Brighton and Chelsea, and conceded the lead in each of their last three home games.
Forster has previously shown he is far less comfortable playing out from the back than Spurs' regular No.1 Guglielmo Vicari, but Postecoglou has insisted he continue in his unflappable style.
Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster didn't have the best of nights against Man Utd
When asked what he thought as he watched Forster's seven-minute nightmare unfold, Postecoglou said: “It's fair to say in 26 years there have been a few of those (goal-scoring errors).
“But I've always thought the pros far outweighed the cons. Those moments are rare, but when they happen they stand out. There were two of them today, and the first impacted Fraser going forward.
“He's disappointed but he was outstanding for us. He didn't have a lot to do before that and in the first half I thought he found some great solutions with his feet, but obviously the first probably affected his confidence. He lost a bit of belief and then the second it complicates.
“He's a big boy, he's another one who has stood up for us. I can't say enough about this group of players. We had 10 unavailable tonight, we had a day less rest than Man Utd, and we're not able to rotate the squad like other clubs can do that. We don't have the numbers, but we're not just going through the games, we're still maintaining the kind of football (which was this period) that we're going to see huge growth.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash between Tottenham and Manchester United
Mistakes could cost Tottenham success, Ange admits
While usually unapologetic about his unchanging style, Postecoglou nevertheless sounded a note of caution that “making things difficult” could cost Tottenham the success they crave to end a 16-year run since they last lifted the trophy in 2008.
“I love football and watching the teams go out there and have fun,” he said Sky Sports. “Obviously we want to be successful and we won't be if we make things difficult like we did tonight.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Injured Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario fumes in stands over team-mate Forster's mistakes against Man Utd
“I like the whole game. Aren't you having fun? I know the studio probably broke because of my lack of tactics.
“We're not going there to try and grind out 1-0 wins, we're trying to entertain people. I don't see how bad it is.
“It's part of football, mistakes are going to happen. In the context of the way we play as a team, nothing needs to be changed. It doesn't bring me any credit in the bank as a shrewd tactician, but so be it.”
Amorim: The right to leave Rashford out regardless of the result
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ruben Amorim felt that his team was the better team in the defeat against Tottenham
Meanwhile, Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has backed his decision to once again leave Marcus Rashford out of the matchday squad.
The striker has been absent from Spurs after missing the Manchester derby on Sunday amid speculation over his future. Rashford was ruled out at the weekend, with Amorim citing a number of factors, and he no longer traveled with his team-mates after coming out on Tuesday to say open to a “new challenge” away from United.
Asked if it was a mistake to leave Rashford out, Amorim said: “If I feel I'm doing the right thing for the team, it's never been a mistake. We have to make a selection. It wasn't a mistake because I feel I'm doing my best for the team on my way of looking at things.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher discuss Marcus Rashford's decision to make a statement about his future at Manchester United
For his part, Amorim was positive and pointed to a poor eight minutes of play at the start of the second half, in which Spurs scored twice, as the moment they lost the match.
“We controlled possession. We weren't the best team the whole game, but for the most part I think we were the best team. We got shut down for eight minutes and it was hard to recover from that, but the guys did a great job recovering. We were so close to equalizing but the fourth goal was really difficult for us.
“We got disconnected for eight minutes and it cost us the game.”