Postecoglou is 'the right man' to take Tottenham forward, says Kulusevski

Tottenham return to European action on Thursday against Swedish side Elfsborg in the Europa League, hoping to cement their place in the top eight of the standings.

They sit sixth in the table after seven games and know a victory is a must to guarantee their automatic progression to the tournament's round of 16 stage.

However, they come into the match on the back of a shock 2-1 defeat to Leicester City, leaving them in 15th in the Premier League and eight points above the relegation zone.

In fact, Spurs have failed to win any of their last seven top-flight games (D1 L6), their longest winless run in the top-flight since a nine-match stint between May and October 2008.

Tottenham's recent string of results has seen pressure pile on Postecoglou, but Kulusevski believes the former Celtic boss can get the club out of their current rut.

"We had games where we showed perfect football, football that not many teams can play. We played beautiful games against United, City away 4-0," Kulusevski told reporters.

"I think he is the right man. We want to win for him... I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. I think he is the right man.

"Opinions change, I don't listen to anyone. I know the truth, I see the truth from my side. It's not important what people say, it never has actually been.

"The league is very bad and the game on Sunday was tough to lose. You have to stay clear minded and focus on the goals."

But Postecoglou reaffirmed his belief that Spurs can still succeed this season, having previously said he "always wins trophies in his second season".

Tottenham lead 1-0 in their EFL Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool heading into the second leg next week, and have a good chance in this year's Europa League.

In fact, Opta's data-led simulations hand Postecoglou's side an 11% chance of winning the competition, with only Athletic Bilbao (11%) and Lazio (21%) ranked higher.

Ahead of facing Elfsborg at home, Spurs are unbeaten in 16 home games in all European competitions since a 1-0 loss to RB Leipzig in February 2020.

"I agree with him. We are doing really well in the cups, it is easy to focus on the league, but we are doing really well in the cups," Kulusevski said on Spurs' chances of a trophy.