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

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

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

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

Spurs’ ten defeats this season 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 games .

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

Is Postecoglou under any heavy pressure?

My understanding is that he is not under any great pressure. I think there is pressure because they are 15th in the league. For them it is unacceptable.

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

So there is pressure. But in terms of 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 Cristian Romero return in the coming weeks, they can qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League, they can reach the Carabao Cup final, they can beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup .

Then you’re coming back and saying, actually, this could still be a good season.

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

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

Why does the board give it this time?

I think it is accepted that these injuries are seriously hurting the side. They’re not just weird injuries, they’re bad injuries.

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

Postecoglou has been saying for the last two or three weeks to me and colleagues: Dom needs help. And now Dom is injured.

It’s January 20th and no outfield signings have come in. Yes, January is hard, but he really needs help now.

Will Postecoglou get that support in the January transfer market?

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

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

But European clubs are not so inclined to give away their players in January. We have European football in January now, which has never happened before.

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

Where do Spurs fans sit at Postecoglou?

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

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

And then they went on a poor run when they had that game with Chelsea, that 4-1 defeat in Monday’s football. The season just went off the rails after that and Postecoglou didn’t turn it around.

Many fans feel that it is not his fault and that he has not been supported. They think the team is not good enough, he needs money, they need better recruiting.

While some fans are upset with how he only has one way to play. Some think the injuries are for him, and they are not happy with the top line and open midfield.

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

Daniel Levy sacked Spurs managers midway through the season before, what would that look like?

I don’t know if the fans would accept an interim like Ryan Mason like they have the last two times. With the murmurings I hear, I don’t think they would accept that.

Postecoglou still maintains a good relationship with the Spurs hierarchy. The head of football operations is Scott Munn, who is Australian and is an Ange supporter.

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 that leave Daniel Levy with Spurs fans?

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

But if he did, it would make for a very tense final few months of the season at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in terms of atmosphere.

Spurs are riddled with injuries at the moment, 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 I don’t consider it a top-six team at the moment.

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

Spurs spent a couple of seasons playing poorly, winning 1-0 with a Kane thunderbolt. They relied heavily on him. They didn’t have that last season, and they still had a pretty good season.

This season, you’ve seen a number of injuries, poor performances, and then Heung-Min Son, who has had a difficult season, is a year older.

And one of the most disappointing facts is that I don’t think, and this is probably a collective responsibility, they haven’t really planned for the extra European games.

Last season, Spurs were not in Europe. They were knocked out of the FA Cup. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round. So basically they only had about 42 games.

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

Tottenham’s next matches – Europe, Carabao Cup and FA Cup on the line

Hoffenheim (A) – Europa League – Thursday 23 January, 17:45

Leicester City (H) – Premier League – Sunday, January 26, 2 p.m

Elfsborg (H) – Europa League – Thursday 30 January, 20:00

Brentford (A) – Premier League – Sunday, February 2, 2 p.m

Liverpool (A) – Carabao Cup semi-final – Thursday 6 February, 20:00 (Agg 0-1)

Aston Villa (A) – FA Cup Fourth Round – Sunday 9 February, 5.35pm

Manchester United (H) – Premier League – Sunday February 16, 16:30