Since joining Tottenham Hotspur in July 2023, Ange Postecoglou has had a turbulent experience with far from idyllic circumstances.
During his time at Spurs, Postecoglou has managed 87 matches, with 42 wins and 33 losses. This leaves him with an average of 1.59 points per match, the same average he amassed as the Australia manager.
This is not a record that overly impresses, with a lot of emphasis currently being placed on defeats.
What's gone wrong?
It is important to assess the context of why Tottenham are failing to win regularly under Ange Postecoglou.
The first point to make about this season in particular, is the unprecedented injury crisis, which has removed key players from Spurs' starting line-up for long periods.
To quote the Australian manager, "I mean you can walk outside and say, 'Jeez it's really bright', and say to yourself maybe it's not the sun. But it is the sun, mate, we've just got injuries."
Many have responded to this with comparisons to other clubs in the league, such as Bournemouth, who have had an injury crisis of their own but have managed to remain competitive in the Premier League, without European competition to worry about.
However, the significance of losing Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Radu Drăgușin for elongated periods of time is not comparable.
As a result, Spurs have conceded a multitude of beyond preventable goals due to their lack of stability at the back this season.
Individual errors are often the cause of 'soft goals', however, the system Postecoglou sets his team out to play can invite pressure which increases the likelihood of mistakes.
The lack of system adaptability has infuriated sections of the fanbase, with many demanding a more defensive style of play to try and preserve winning positions, or for damage limitation.
The flip side to this argument being, at the other end of the pitch, players have been inconsistent and often underperforming.
If the Lilywhites resorted to a more defensive style of play, more trust would be put on the frontline to be more clinical, something which has not been seen enough this season.
This lack of consistency, regarding player availability and performance levels, has led to Ange Postecoglou having an increasing number of critics; but how does it compare to recent Spurs teams?
The context of Spurs' current situation
The last three major appointments made by Daniel Levy, pre-Postecoglou, were José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Under Mourinho, Spurs lost to Dinamo Zagreb at Stadium Maksimir with a 2-0 advantage going into the game, with the opposition manager, Zoran Mamic, facing prison time and quitting in the same week.
Tottenham finished above Arsenal in the Portuguese manager's final season with the club but ultimately failed to do anything significant, with his sacking coming before the EFL Cup Final.
Nuno failed to inspire Spurs fans over his brief spell at the club, despite defeating Manchester City 1-0 in his first game in charge.
Under Conte, the north London side lost to NŠ Mura in the UEFA Conference League, the lowest ranked team in European competition that season. His side also failed to score a goal a against Chelsea when they faced each other three times in the space of a month, losing 5-0 on aggregate.
A 3-2 away defeat to Southampton proved the tipping point for the Italian manager, who took a dig at the ownership and mentality of the players.
The constant all three of these managers had, however, was Harry Kane.
Ange Postecoglou is the first of a new era of Spurs managers that have to find how to win games of football without one the best in the world leading the line.
Add to this the removal of four starting defenders, Spurs' situation then begins to make more sense, despite the immense disappointment this season has provided.
Losing to Ipswich and Leicester at home but also defeating Man City 4-0 at Etihad shows that the increasingly dark cloud of the 2024/25 season has silver linings.
Signs of promise
Ange Postecoglou has implemented a style of play that is quintessentially Spurs. High energy, entertaining football with an element of unpredictability.
His system has not always operated effectively, but when it works, it is one of the most exciting in the world.
If the north London club can provide the Australian with the depth to cope with potential injuries going forward, the chances of success will be far greater.
This is supported by the players' belief in the system and Postecoglou himself, one example of this being vice-captain Romero.
"He's a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we've suffered a lot of injuries," said the Argentinian defender.
"Players are the first one to be criticised, then if we lose 10 games, the staff can be changed, but nobody talks about what is actually happening.
"We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We love how they work and the football they try to play. We'll try to move on quickly."
Additionally, Djed Spence, who was originally out of favour under Postecoglou, has also supported his manager.
“We believe in what he [Postecoglou] wants us to do. We try to implement that in every game. Of course it’s not going to work in every game, but the manager has our full support."
There is also a vast amount of promising talent in N17, with the likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mikey Moore, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and many others.
Croatian defender, Luka Vušković will also be joining the squad from next season after being one of the highest scoring defenders in world football at the age of 18.
Ange Postecoglou has stated how he feels about the exciting prospects in this squad and feels he is the man that could utilise them effectively, particularly Bergvall and Gray.
“I'm so happy they're at our football club and you know, in two or three years' time, I just pray to God I'm the beneficiary of their talent, mate, because if somebody else is getting it, I won't be happy.”
What next for Spurs?
This season can still end in Champions League qualification and more importantly a long-awaited trophy for Tottenham.
The league is not completely redundant, however, as London derbies and an away trip to Anfield remain, which can prove to be morale boosting.
Frankfurt will be the key focus for the team as their next opponent in the Europa League; a difficult opposition with a great deal of talent.
Hugo Ekitike is their main man up top, who recently scored a hat-trick in a France u-21's fixture, in which two of his goals were provided by Spurs' Odobert.
World Cup winner Mario Götze also poses a threat, along with German midfielder Ansgar Knauff, who has seven assists this season.
If the injury situation remains the same, the north London side will have all their key players fit for both legs, including the returning Dejan Kulusevski.
This would provide the former Celtic manager the most opportunity to win silverware in his second second season.
This season can be defined by European success, along with Postecoglou's future, but should this be the case?
This season has been full of extraneous variables that have prevented optimal conditions for consistency for the Australian. Ownership protests, a plethora of injuries and freak errors have undoubtedly cost the manager.
The phrase 'trust the process' gets thrown around in the modern era of football, except it is not met with great patience.
Many performances this season have been viewed as unacceptable by all at the club, which is rendered Postecoglou's position untenable to some, but not all.