Ange Postecoglou set to notch up 50th EPL match as manager of Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou insists there has been progress in his first 50 Premier League games in charge.
In short:
Australian manager Ange Postecoglou is preparing to lead Tottenham Hotspur for the 50th time in the English Premier League.
Tottenham is 10th through 11 games this season, with five wins and five losses.
What's next?
Spurs head north to face champions Manchester City on Sunday morning, AEDT.
Ange Postecoglou will notch up a half century of Premier League games in charge of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, AEDT, with a crucial month ahead for the Australian.
The 59-year-old led Tottenham to fifth place in his first season at the helm — a solid improvement on its eighth-placed finish the season before.
But after a spectacular start to his Tottenham reign when the team bagged 26 points from its first 10 Premier League games, the subsequent period has been mired in inconsistency.
This season it has won five and lost five of its first 11 games, with the latest setback coming before the international break when it was beaten 2-1 at home by Ipswich Town.
His side are in 10th place in the table ahead of their trip to champions Manchester City this weekend.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the former Celtic and Socceroos manager said his team had progressed from last season and that judging it so early in the campaign was unfair, although he admits it faced a crucial period with nine games in 29 days.
"I think it's going to be a real pivotal part of the season. If we're still 10th at Christmas obviously people won't be happy, but we might not be 10th," he told reporters.
"If we had beaten Ipswich we'd be third and I reckon this press conference would be a lot different, wouldn't it? I'm not going to let my life be dictated by one result.
"I take a sort of wider perspective on these things because I know how fickle it can be.
"But we need to address our position for sure.
"If we're 10th at Christmas, yeah, it won't be great, for sure. Absolutely and rightly so there would be a lot of scrutiny around me."
'The key is the next 50 games'
Postecoglou insists there has been progress in his first 50 Premier League games in charge after inheriting a squad in need of a major rebuild.
His side has produced some scintillating football at times this season in wins against Manchester United and Aston Villa, and it beat Manchester City to reach the quarterfinal of the League Cup.
But there have been slip-ups, including losses to Ipswich and Crystal Palace.
"I think I said I am steadfast and I am clear on some really strong principles that I just won't budge on. But that doesn't mean I don't feel at times I need to adapt in the way I deliver things," he said.
Asked for his assessment on his half century, Postecoglou said: "Where did I think we'd be after 50 games? God knows, mate. Could have been a whole lot worse now, but when you look at it in the current prism of 10th, you kind of go, doesn't look good. I understand that and we have to improve that.
"But over the 50 games, I think there's enough there that shows where we are progressing as a team, and we are developing into the team we want.
"The key is the next 50 games. If they can be better than the first 50, firstly that means I'm still here. But secondly, I think we'll be in a good space."
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