Ange Postecoglou future: Why Tottenham and Daniel Levy are sticking with Australian head coach for now

Tottenham's season is in crisis with the pressure ramping up on Ange Postecoglou.

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

The loss, which saw Postecoglou's side go 3-0 down at half-time to a team that had scored 15 goals in 20 games beforehand, was Spurs' 12 defeat of the season and continues a dismal run of one win - against basement club Southampton - in their last 10 games.

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Spurs' dozen defeats this term is the most they have suffered after 22 league games in over a quarter of a century - while they only have nine Premier League wins in the last nine months - losing 24 out of the last 50 matches.

So what is next for Postecoglou and Tottenham ahead of a busy end to January both on and off the field? Sky Sports News' Michael Bridge explains all...

Is Postecoglou under any severe pressure?

My understanding is he's not under any severe pressure. I think there's pressure because they're 15th in the league. To them, it is unacceptable.

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

So, there is pressure. But in terms of his job security, I do believe he still has the full backing of the board.

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

Then you're turning around and saying, actually, this could still be a good season.

However, they could lose to Hoffenheim in Europe on Thursday, get knocked out of that top eight, and then they've got 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 they could go out to Villa.

If that were to happen it could be a tough few months until May.

Why are the board giving him this time?

I think there's an acceptance that these injuries are seriously derailing the side. They're not just the odd injuries, they're bad injuries.

People can blame him on the style of play which has led to hamstring injuries. You cannot blame Postecoglou on Dominic Solanke kicking a ball in training and his knee going.

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

It's the 20th of January and no outfield signing has come in. Yes, January is difficult, but he really does need some help now.

Will Postecoglou get that support in the January transfer market?

I do believe so. They have to bring players in. 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're Tottenham's two best players. So it can happen.

But European clubs aren't as keen to give away their players in January. We've got 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 needs to happen quite soon.

Where do the Spurs fans sit on Postecoglou?

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

When he joined, I've never known love like it. Postecoglou said it himself, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was like being in a nightclub. Even Robbie Williams started singing songs about him.

And then they went on a poor run when they had that Chelsea game, that 4-1 defeat on Monday Night Football. The season just derailed after that and Postecoglou didn't really get that back.

Many fans just think it's not his fault and that he's not been backed. They feel the squad's not good enough, he needs money, they need better recruitment.

Whereas some fans are upset with how he's only got one way of playing. Some feel the injuries are down to him, and they're not happy with the high line and the open midfield.

Some feel he is stubborn and some feel it might be time for a change, but who do you bring in? We've seen Ruben Amorim being so unsure about joining a club mid-season with so much work to do.

Daniel Levy has sacked Spurs managers mid-season before, how would that look?

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'd accept that.

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

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

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

I don't think Daniel Levy personally would want to be in any rush to fire another manager.

But if he did, it would cause a very tense last few months of the season in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in terms of atmosphere.

Spurs are riddled with injuries at the moment, is there any explanation as to why?

There is no doubt that given Tottenham's style of play, there is that risk.

I also think poor recruitment has caught up with the club. I look at the squad, and I don't consider it a top-six squad at the moment.

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

Spurs spent a few seasons playing poorly, winning 1-0 with a Kane thunderbolt. They used to overly rely on him. They didn't have him last season, and they still had a pretty good season.

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

And one of the most disappointing facts is I don't think, and this is maybe a collective responsibility, they didn't really plan for the extra European matches.

Last season, Spurs weren't in Europe. They got knocked out of the FA Cup. They got knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round. So they essentially only had about 42 games.

This year, they've played their 34th game already. They've got two more European matches this month. They've got a second leg in the Carabao Cup. They've got the FA Cup.

Tottenham's upcoming fixtures - Europe, Carabao Cup & FA Cup on the line

Hoffenheim (A) - Europa League - Thursday January 23, 5:45pm

Leicester City (H) - Premier League - Sunday January 26, 2pm

Elfsborg (H) - Europa League - Thursday January 30, 8pm

Brentford (A) - Premier League - Sunday February 2, 2pm

Liverpool (A) - Carabao Cup semi-final - Thursday February 6, 8pm (Agg 0-1)

Aston Villa (A) - FA Cup fourth round - Sunday February 9, 5:35pm

Manchester United (H) - Premier League - Sunday February 16, 4:30pm

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