Perhaps it will be concluded that the international break has come at a good time for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham are endlessly chasing the return to fitness of their key players, and most will be back and ready once club football resumes.
Against Chelsea at the start of next month, it might just be Dejan Kulusevski who’s missing from Postecoglou’s strongest possible combination of players – there will be no more excuses.
Performances and results need to improve under Postecoglou, and whilst Tottenham want to bring back Fabio Paratici to improve their efforts on the recruitment side of things, displays haven’t been good enough on the pitch with the players already available.
Tottenham are frustrated with Ange Postecoglou
That being said, BBC Sport journalist Nizaar Kinsella has now provided an update on how decision-makers at Spurs are feeling about Postecoglou’s future.
Kinsella was conducting a Q+A with Tottenham fans and was inevitably asked about their manager’s situation – a precarious one to say the least.
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Postecoglou needs to win the Europa League to protect his position, and Kinsella said there was ‘genuine frustration’ at the club about the football on display recently.
He said: “I get the sense Spurs don’t want to make a change right now but that there is genuine frustration growing about the underperformance behind the scenes.
“Spurs really want Postecoglou to work out and have been very patient with him so far. The Australian has said he has not felt ‘alone’ during this time and been supported.
“But, with all their goodwill and hope the Europa League can save Postecoglou, I am not sure they can win the argument that he should stay if they get knocked out of Europe.
“As of today, that’s my best read of the situation.”
The last five managers Daniel Levy sacked at Tottenham
Given it is realistic that Postecoglou could one day be let go by Daniel Levy, it is now interesting to compare his record with other managers who the Spurs chairman has let go.
Ignoring those who had the job on an interim basis, Tottenham’s last five managers before Postecoglou have been (starting with the most recent first): Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo, Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino and Tim Sherwood.
| Manager | Matches | Points per match |
| Tim Sherwood | 26 | 1.65 |
| Mauricio Pochettino | 293 | 1.84 |
| Jose Mourinho | 86 | 1.77 |
| Nuno Espirito Santo | 17 | 1.65 |
| Antonio Conte | 76 | 1.78 |
| Ange Postecoglou | 46 | 1.50 |
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Remarkably, Postecoglou has a considerably worse record than those who Levy got rid of before him, demonstrating how the Spurs chairman is showing an unprecedented level of patience right now.
And whilst some will point to the injuries that the former Celtic boss has contended with this season, the managers who came before him in N17 will have also faced their own challenges too.
