Embattled Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has said that it is "really easy" for people to "stick their boots" into his misfiring team after the north London club drew heavy criticism following their 4-0 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg on Thursday.

Postecoglou's side took a slender 1-0 lead to Anfield from the first leg but were outclassed by Liverpool, failing to register a single shot on target in the match. Former Spurs captain and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said the scoreline made for "horrendous" reading.

"I get the pile-on at the moment, it's really easy for people to stick their boots in. And question the players and all that kind of stuff. That's not something I question," Posteclgou told a news conference on Friday.

"We were disappointed last night didn't go the way we wanted to, didn't really perform at the levels we wanted to. That's doesn't define this group of players by any stretch, in my eyes."

Richarlison is the latest addition to the north London side's lengthy injury list ahead of Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Aston Villa.

The 27-year-old, who has been plagued with calf, groin, knee and hamstring problems since his move from Everton in 2022, went off injured in first-half stoppage time of Thursday's defeat.

"It's disappointing for him and he was emotional last night because he worked really hard to get himself back," Postecoglou said.

"It's another setback that he's going to have to deal with, we're going to have to deal with. Hopefully get him back as soon as possible."

Postecoglou's squad have been hit hard by injuries amid a run of poor results but the 59-year-old is optimistic about the return of key players for their Premier League game against Manchester United later this month.

Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Dominic Solanke are all sidelined with injuries.

"We're still hopeful we'll get at least two or maybe three back for the Man United game," Postecoglou said.

"We've got two full weeks of training, which I think over these two weeks we'll get the majority of the players back with a bit of luck, provided we don't lose anyone else like we lost Richy last night."

Reflecting on the heavy defeat to Liverpool, Postecoglou said it was a tough loss but his focus was now on Sunday's FA Cup tie.

"We'll go out there on Sunday and put out more of a performance that reflects where we're at," Postecoglou said. "I have a great deal of belief in these players and what they're going through and how they're dealing with it."

Spurs have not won a trophy since their Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2008 and now, only the FA Cup and the Europa League are potential routes to ending their silverware drought.