Ange Postecoglou admitted he would be under pressure if Tottenham were still mid-table after a run of nine matches in 30 days, starting with Saturday’s visit to Manchester City.
The 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break left Spurs in 10th place, with five wins and five defeats from their first 11 Premier League games of the campaign.
The trip to the Etihad – Postecoglou’s 50th match in charge of the club – is the start of a “pivotal” period of matches, according to the head coach, also including meetings with Chelsea and Liverpool and a quarter-final of the Carabao Cup against Manchester United.
Postecoglou admits he will face “a lot of scrutiny” if Spurs’ league position does not improve by the end of next month.
“If we’re still 10th, then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy. But we might not be 10th,” he said on Friday.
“Of course. If we’d beaten Ipswich we’d be third and I think this press conference would be a lot different, don’t you think?
“I’m not going to let my life be dictated by one outcome, I’m sorry. I take a broader perspective on these things because I know how fickle it can be. But we certainly have to address our position. And if we’re 10th at Christmas, yeah it won’t be great, that’s for sure.
“Rightfully, there would be a lot of scrutiny and probably a lot of scrutiny around me, which is fair enough, but that’s not where I anticipate us being.”
Postecoglou took responsibility for Spurs’ inconsistent form following the defeat to Tractor Boys – their second setback against a previously winless side this season following the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. They also slumped from 2-0 down to lose at Brighton, but impressed in other games.
The Australian said he would adapt his message to his Tottenham players after they were “stuck” during their recent defeats.
“I know people try to paint me as one-dimensional, I have certain beliefs that I won’t waver on, but in that process there are always things [to adapt]because there are different challenges everywhere you go,” he said.
“I just think of the games that we’ve been really stuck in this year, where we’ve really struggled to find solutions in games, I’m thinking of Brighton in the second half, Palace and Ipswich… The solutions are there, they exist in our football, but perhaps the way I transmit it – it is for me an element of reflection.
“To say ‘how can I get even clearer’, or find a different way to show the players that when we get stuck in these moments, because obviously currently the way I’m doing it hasn’t had the impact that I hoped it would have.
“So there is always personal reflection. I am unwavering and I am clear that I have very strong principles that I will not budge on. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes feel the need to adapt in the way I deliver things or in the way I work. »
Postecoglou has taken 73 points from his first 49 games – around 64 extrapolated over a full season – after a fifth-place finish last season.
Asked if his team were where he expected them to be as they approach half a century of league matches, Postecoglou added: “I think people forget where we started.
“I took over a club that finished eighth. I didn’t take over a club that finished second, third, fourth, fifth. I finished eighth.
“No European football. Significant player turnover. Significant. Change in style of play. Where did I think we would be after 50 games? God knows.
“It could have been a lot worse. But when you look at it through the current prism of where we are in 10th place, you say ‘that doesn’t look good’ and I understand that and we need to improve that. But on the 50 games, I think that’s enough to show that we’re progressing as a team and evolving into the team that we want.
“The key is the next 50 games, if they can be better overall than the first 50. Firstly, that means I’m here, but secondly, I think we’ll be in a good space.
“I look at the overall picture of what we’re trying to do. I firmly believe we’re on the right track. I firmly believe in this team of players. I firmly believe we will be successful. Those things are still there, but I can see why externally, if you put a pin in it now, it doesn’t look like that.”