Ange Postecoglou reveals the reason why he dropped Dejan Kulusevski vs Fulham

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Tottenham’s inconsistencies were once again on show against Fulham, in their 1-1 draw.

A number of the Spurs squad disappointed against the Cottages, with the likes of Heung-min Son and Pedro Porro earning criticism from supporters.

Son, in particular, struggled to lead the Tottenham frontline – a frontline that was without it’s best player this season, with Dejan Kulusevski absent from the Spurs lineup.

Many fans were surprised to see the Swede on the bench, and Ange Postecoglou has since revealed his reasoning behind the decision.

• READ MORE: What Ange Postecoglou has said on Heung-min Son’s recent Tottenham form

Ange Postecoglou on why he dropped Dejan Kulusevski

Replacing Timo Werner on the 68th-minute mark, Kulusevski was introduced only a minute after Tom Cairney’s Fulham equaliser.

Despite only playing 22 minutes, the Swede did make an impact, with his energy and tenacity helping drive Spurs forward.

With Kulusevski impressing off the bench, many fans have questioned why he was left out of the starting XI in the first place. Postecoglou responded to those questions in his post-match presser:

“Yeah, we’re going have to protect our players because as I said, we’re within our numbers and Deki has played every minute. I mean, I’ve rarely subbed him off.

“So we’ve just got to be careful with him and with a few others, but, you know, at the moment we just don’t have too many options, so we’ve just got to try and manage them the best we can and obviously that affects performance.

“I think he got through the game well, and I guess for Thursday should be in good shape,” as per Football.London.

Tottenham missed Kulusevski’s impact against Fulham

The 24-year-old has earned a lot of plaudits for his performances this season, with Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle believing Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s best player so far this campaign.

Gary Neville meanwhile claimed Kulusevski could play for Real Madrid following the Swede’s display against Manchester City.

Whether it be lung-busting runs or his mazy dribbling, Kulusevski’s quality was undoubtedly missed against Fulham.

It would be no surprise at all to see the ex-Juventus man return to the starting XI against Bournemouth on Thursday evening.