Ange Postecoglou makes admission over Tottenham 'scrutiny' as Christmas target set

Ange Postecoglou has accepted helium volition beryllium nether unit if Tottenham are inactive mid-table astatine the extremity of a tally of 9 games successful 30 days, starting with Saturday's sojourn to Manchester City.

The travel to the Etihad – Postecoglou's 50th League crippled successful complaint – is the commencement of a "pivotal" play of games, according to the caput coach, besides including meetings with Chelsea and Liverpool and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

Postecoglou accepts that helium volition beryllium facing "a batch of scrutiny" if Spurs' league presumption does not amended by the extremity of the adjacent month.

"If we’re inactive 10th past radical won’t beryllium happy, I won’t beryllium happy. But we mightiness not beryllium 10th," helium said connected Friday.

"Of course. If we had beaten Ipswich, we’d beryllium 3rd and I reckon this property league would beryllium overmuch different, wouldn’t it?

"I’m not going to fto my beingness beryllium dictated by 1 result, I’m sorry. I instrumentality a wider position connected these things due to the fact that I cognize however fickle it tin be. But we request to code our presumption for sure. And if we’re 10th astatine Christmas, yea it won’t beryllium great, for sure.

"Rightly so, there’d beryllium a batch of scrutiny and astir apt a batch of scrutiny astir maine which is just capable but that’s not wherever I program for america to be."

Postecoglou took work for Spurs' inconsistent signifier pursuing the nonaccomplishment to the Tractor Boys – their 2nd reverse against a previously-winless broadside this play aft the 1-0 decision astatine Crystal Palace. They besides collapsed from 2-0 up to suffer astatine Brighton but person impressed successful different games.

The Australian said helium volition accommodate his connection to his Tottenham players aft they "got stuck" successful their caller defeats.

"I cognize radical effort to overgarment maine arsenic one-dimensional, determination are definite beliefs that I person that I won’t waver on, but wrong that process, there’s ever things [to adapt], due to the fact that there’s antithetic challenges wherever you go," helium said.

“I conscionable deliberation the games we’ve truly got stuck successful this year, wherever we’ve truly struggled to find solutions successful games, I’m reasoning astir Brighton 2nd half, Palace and Ipswich...The solutions bash exist, they beryllium wrong our shot but possibly the mode I’m messaging that – that’s the reflective spot for me.

“To say, ‘how tin I go adjacent clearer’, oregon find a antithetic mode of showing the players that erstwhile we bash get stuck successful these moments, due to the fact that evidently presently however I americium doing it hasn’t had the interaction I’d anticipation it would have.

“So there’s ever aforesaid reflection. I americium steadfast and I americium wide that I person immoderate truly beardown principles that I conscionable won’t budge on. But that doesn’t mean I don't consciousness astatine times I request to accommodate successful the mode I present things oregon the mode I work."

Postecoglou has taken 73 points from his archetypal 49 games – astir 64 extrapolated implicit a afloat play – aft a fifth-place decorativeness past term.

Asked if his broadside were wherever helium expected arsenic helium approaches a half-century of League games, Postecoglou added: "I deliberation radical hide our starting point.

"I took implicit a nine that finished eighth. I didn’t instrumentality implicit a nine that finished second, third, fourth, fifth. Finished eighth.

"No European football. Significant subordinate turnover. Significant. Change of playing style. Where did I deliberation we’d beryllium aft 50 games? God knows.

"It could person been a full batch worse. But erstwhile you look astatine it successful the existent prism of we’re 10th, you’re going ‘it doesn’t look good’ and I recognize that and we person to amended that. But implicit the 50 games I deliberation there’s capable determination that shows we are progressing arsenic a squad and we are processing into the squad we want.

"The cardinal is the adjacent 50 games, if they tin beryllium successful totality amended than the archetypal 50. First, that means I’m present but second, I deliberation we’ll beryllium successful a bully space.

"I look astatine the totality of what we’re trying to do. I firmly judge we’re connected the close path. I firmly judge successful this squad of players. I firmly judge we volition person success. Those things are inactive determination but I tin spot wherefore outwardly, if you enactment a pin successful it close now, it doesn’t look that way."