Ange Postecoglou’s future: Why Tottenham and Daniel Levy are sticking with Australian head coach for now | Football news

Tottenham’s season is in crisis with increasing pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs’ 3-2 defeat at Everton left them 15th in the Premier League table – closer to the relegation zone than the European places.

The defeat, which left Postecoglou’s side 3-0 down at half-time against a team that had previously scored 15 goals in 20 games, was Spurs’ 12th defeat of the season and continues a dismal run of one win – against basement club Southampton – in the last 10 games.

Spurs’ 10 defeats this term are the most they have suffered after 22 league games in more than a quarter of a century – while they have just nine Premier League wins in the last nine months – losing 24 of their last 50 matches.

What’s next for Postecoglou and Tottenham ahead of a busy end to January, both on and off the pitch? Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge explains all…

Is Postecoglou under a lot of pressure?

From what I understand, he’s not under a lot of pressure. I think there is pressure because they are 15th in the league. It is unacceptable to them.

But Postecoglou said so himself. He said, and he is right, that they are still in three cup competitions, but the league position is not acceptable.

So there is pressure. But as for his job security, I believe he still has the full support of the board.

But the next three or four weeks define Tottenham’s season. If the likes of Micky van de Ven and Cristiano Romero come back in the next few weeks, they could qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League, they could reach the Carabao Cup final, they could beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Then you turn around and say, actually, this could still be a good season.

However, they could lose to Hoffenheim in Europe on Thursday, drop out of that top eight and then have two extra games to reach the later stages of the Europa League. They could lose at Anfield in the second leg of the Carabao Cup and could go against Villa.

If that happens, it could be a tough few months until May.

Why is the board giving him this time?

I think there is an acceptance that these injuries seriously derail the side. These are not just freak injuries, they are serious injuries.

People can blame him for a style of play that has led to hamstring injuries. You can’t blame Postecoglou for Dominic Solanke kicking the ball in training and his knee giving out.

In the last two or three weeks, Postecoglou told me and my colleagues: The House needs help. And now Dom is injured.

It is January 20th and there are no signatures on the field. Yes, January is tough, but he really needs help now.

Will Postecoglou get that support in the transfer market in January?

I believe so. They have to bring players. January is not easy, but it is achievable. Spurs had a good January window.

For example, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were January signings, and now they are two of Tottenham’s best players. So it can happen.

However, European clubs are not so willing to give their players in January. Now we have European football in January, which has never happened before.

But despite that, I still believe that Spurs will bring in at least one player, but it has to happen very soon.

Where are the Spurs fans sitting at Postecoglou?

Mixed is probably a fair assessment now after the Everton defeat.

When he joined, I had never known such love. Postecoglou said it himself, Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium was like being in a nightclub. Even Robbie Williams started singing songs about him.

And then they went on a bad streak when they had that Chelsea game, that 4-1 loss on Monday Night Football. The season just went off the rails after that, and Postecoglou didn’t really come back.

A lot of fans just think it’s not his fault and that he didn’t get support. They feel the team is not good enough, it needs money, it needs better recruiting.

While some fans are upset that he only has one way of playing. Some feel that the injuries are his fault and are not happy with the high line and open midfield.

Some think he’s stubborn, and some think it might be time for a change, but who do you bring in? We saw that Ruben Amorim was unsure about joining the club in the middle of the season with so much work to do.

Daniel Levy sacked the Spurs managers mid-season ago, what would that look like?

I don’t know if the fans would accept an interim gig like Ryan Mason like they did the last two times. With the mutterings I hear, I don’t think they would accept it.

Postecoglou continues to maintain a good relationship with the Spurs hierarchy. The head of football operations is Scott Munn, who is Australian and supports Ange.

Postecoglou works very well with Johan Lange, Tottenham’s technical director. But the next three to four weeks are crucial for Tottenham’s season.

If Postecoglou were to be sacked soon, where would Daniel Levy leave with Spurs fans?

I don’t think Daniel Levy personally would want to rush into sacking another manager.

But if it did, it would make for a very tense atmosphere in the final few months of the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs are currently riddled with injuries, is there any explanation as to why?

There is no doubt that given Tottenham’s style of play, that risk exists.

I also think poor recruitment has caught up with the club. I look at the team and right now I don’t see them as a top six team.

I think in fairness to Postecoglou, he probably didn’t give himself enough credit when they finished fifth in the first season without Harry Kane.

Spurs have spent a couple of seasons playing poorly, winning 1-0 with a Kane thunderbolt. They used to rely on him too much. They didn’t have him last season, but they had a pretty good season.

This season you saw numerous injuries, poor performances, and then Heung-Min Son, who had a difficult season, is a year older.

And one of the most disappointing facts is that I don’t think, and this is perhaps a collective responsibility, that they didn’t actually plan for additional European games.

Spurs were not in Europe last season. They were relegated from the FA Cup. They were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the second round. So basically they only had about 42 games.

This year they already played the 34th match. They have two more European games this month. They have their second game in the Carabao Cup. They have the FA Cup.