WHEN Ange Postecoglou first came to Tottenham he was like a breath of fresh air.
But lately his injury-hit side have stunk the place out in certain games – leaving some fans to wonder if his radical ideas have gone stale already.
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It is the Aussie’s challenge right now to prove that is not the case amid a punishing fixture list and the worst injury crisis he says he has ever experienced in 26 years of management.
His walking wounded are on a dismal run of one win in their last eight games.
Albeit that victory, the 4-0 trouncing of Manchester City at the Etihad last month, was one of their best ever in the Premier League.
That historic triumph proved just what is possible under the 59-year-old when everything clicks.
But, as many supporters have pointed out, it counts for little when it is preceded by a 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich and followed up 12 days later by a limp loss at Bournemouth.
The pressure is ramping up and arguably starting to show, with Postecoglou uncharacteristically calling out one of his players in public this week.
He hammered Timo Werner’s display in Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Rangers as “unacceptable”.
Werner had been awful against the Scottish giants and was subbed at half-time for Dejan Kulusevski, who went on to rescue a precious point at Ibrox.
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The guy is a Champions League winner, a German international of considerable experience: Postecoglou was not wrong in his evaluation of Werner’s contribution.
Yet it still felt significant to hear the Spurs chief go after one of his charges in a press conference.
Particularly, as just 24 hours earlier, he had said it was something he never does when explaining why Cristian Romero was wrong to air his grievances with Daniel Levy and the Spurs’ hierarchy to the media.
Postecoglou refuted the suggestion that he had criticised Werner in Friday’s press conference back at Spurs, branding it simply “an assessment of his performance”.
One man’s blast is another’s constructive feedback, perhaps.
But to those who have followed Postecoglou’s journey at Spurs from week to week, ears certainly pricked up when he went off on one about his shotshy loanee.
Postecoglou followed up his defence of his Werner rant with words that succinctly summed up Spurs’, and specifically his, situation: “We’re in a fight here.”
Kulusevski had similar battle-themed rhetoric in a flash interview after Rangers, commenting: “Football is war. You have to be prepared 100 per cent. If not, you’ll be eaten alive.”
Injury crisis
Postecoglou so far has not come close to being the 12th manager to be chewed up by Spurs under Levy’s reign.
The word after Sunday’s 4-3 home defeat to Chelsea – where Spurs chucked away a 2-0 lead – was that Postecoglou retained the support of the club, who understood that a crippling injury list was playing its part.
Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and Richarlison are all currently out injured.
While midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is four games into a seven-match ban for racist comments about team-mate Son Heung-min.
Postecoglou certainly has the backing of the players, as Romero made plain last week, amid the Argentine’s dig aimed towards the board.
Supporters seem to be a bit more split, with some unconvinced Postecoglou’s approach will deliver the “glorious” success he has promised.
Daniel Levy backing
Some even shouted abuse at him from the stands of Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium at full-time a week ago after a drab 1-0 loss on the South Coast.
While others believe the ex-Celtic boss needs proper backing – beyond just signing teenagers for the future, which was largely the club’s transfer policy in the summer, barring the £65million capture of Dominic Solanke and the re-loaning of Werner.
Chairman Levy’s resolve over Postecoglou – whom he claimed had “brought our Tottenham back” thanks to his exciting style in September last year – will be tested if the next few games go pear-shaped.
Southampton, the scene of Antonio Conte’s infamous press-conference diatribe where he torched the players, the owners and the club, is up next on Sunday.
Most clubs lick their lips ahead of playing Russell Martin’s basement-boys, who have just five points this season and are eight shy of safety.
But on their day they still play good football, as Liverpool discovered recently until Mohamed Salah did what he does.
Possible saving grace
And with out-of-form Spurs regularly giving up chances at the best of times under Postecoglou’s attack-minded system, three points for the North Londoners feels far from guaranteed.
That is followed by an absolutely massive Carabao Cup quarter-final at home to Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United on Thursday.
The cups could be Postecoglou’s saving grace this term and allow him to make good on his unnecessary, ante-upping declaration in September that “I always win things in my second year” in a job.
But go out to Amorim’s side, and alarm bells will well and truly be ringing by the time top-of-the-table Liverpool come to N17 the following Sunday.
Every game for Postecoglou this season has felt crucial because of how wildly inconsistent they have been. But it really feels like crunch time now.
The key may well prove to be how much heat comes Levy’s way via the supporters.
Protests against ENIC, the club’s majority owners, have happened before and another one is said to be being planned for the Liverpool game on December 22.
Historically Spurs managers have not fared well when the man who appointed them has been in the firing line.
If results do not improve, then expect that to ramp up, and for Postecoglou to be in peril.
