Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - December 15, 2023 Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou before the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo
(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League this season but manager Ange Postecoglou said on Friday that he has no intention of having a word with his players as missing games would teach them a lesson.
Spurs have had 46 yellow cards in 17 games this season while they are joint-top of the league with four red cards. Yves Bissouma has been sent off twice while Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie have one red card each.
Two red cards in one game cost them in a 4-1 defeat by Chelsea last month but ahead of Saturday's home game against Everton, Postecoglou said it was something the players had to learn from on their own.
"It's obviously something that is not great for us, because it's costing us during games, post games. The players are well aware of the impact that those kinds of things have and I'm sure they'll learn from those experiences," he told reporters.
"My experience in football is that the best remedy for those kinds of things is the players feeling like they're missing out on something. It brings them back into line pretty quickly.
"Hopefully we keep winning and the guys that miss out learn their lesson that way."
Everton are on a four-match winning streak in the league which has propelled Sean Dyche's side up to 16th despite a 10-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.
If not for the deduction, Everton would have been 10th, fighting for European spots.
"They've been one of the more consistent sides all year. I think Sean has done an outstanding job," Postecoglou said.
"When you do get hit with something like that, it's often the measure of the playing group and the manager how they respond to adversity. You've got to say their response has been first class.
"He and the players certainly haven't used it as an excuse. They're a good side, a really hard-working team. You've got to compete against them and we're expecting a really tough game tomorrow."
Postecoglou said Spurs will have Giovani Lo Celso back from injury but confirmed James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were no closer to returning, with the pair expected back in action only next month.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
