Tottenham have suffered criticism in the build-up to their loss against Manchester City, with Ange Postecoglou striking out at the club’s mentality – but he’s been backed by his captain.

Son Heung-min insists he is “all in” at Tottenham and believes Ange Postecoglou has “definitely shown he can bring success to the club.”

The Australian is nearing the end of his first season in north London, and despite a promising start, the team will finish outside the top four. Defeat to Manchester City destroyed their ambitions of chasing Aston Villa, with the style and atmosphere surrounding Tuesday night’s game receiving widespread criticism.

Postecoglou was outspoken about the club’s “fragile” roots and rejected the notion that Tottenham should try to toss the game against City to prevent Arsenal from winning the championship.

The Australian singled out a supporter in the audience, and Son has defended his manager’s tactics.

He told the Evening Standard: “We should remember that this is the manager’s first year, and he has introduced so much positivity and a different style of play. I know it’s early to tell, but we need to do a lot better for next season because I still believe he can bring a lot of success to the team.

“I am all in. I love the way he wants to play. It’s the first time I’ve encountered it. Everyone — the club, the players, and the supporters — must step up, because we must all work together to achieve this. He’s proven that he can bring success to the club.”

Son has had to stand up in the absence of Harry Kane, who left the club in the summer for Bayern Munich. The South Korean has been a shining light for Tottenham, but he missed a fantastic opportunity late in their 2-0 loss to City with the game still in the balance.

Their captain stated, “As players, we all wanted to do our best for the club and for ourselves [against City].” We didn’t really care about anything else. We simply focused on what was best for us and the team. We just wanted to do the best for the players and staff who had been through so many workouts, games, and travel. “We did not want to do anything else.”

Tottenham’s trophy drought, which began in 2008, is frequently discussed. The mentality has already been questioned by Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, with Postecoglou acknowledging that recent events have shown some aspects to him.

“I think the last 48 hours have revealed to me the foundations are fairly fragile,” he stated. “That’s how I feel.” The last 48 hours have revealed quite a bit to me. That is fine; it simply means that I will have to start over with some things. Outside the club, inside. It’s been a fascinating exercise.