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Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has admitted that his job is not safe after the team succumbed to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season against Leicester City on Sunday.
Spurs took the lead through Richarlison in the first half, only for Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss to both net within five minutes after the restart.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team, who had lost their previous seven league games, held out for the rest of the contest to earn a notable three points that moved them of the relegation zone and piled more pressure on Spurs’ Australian coach, who saw his own team’s winless streak in the division extend to seven.
Asked whether he should remain in the hot-seat, Postecoglou said: “Who knows? A fair chunk will say no.
“When you are a manager of a football club, you can feel vulnerable and isolated, I don’t feel that. The players are giving everything. I focus on that and try and support the players.”
The former Celtic boss added that the defeat was a painful one, though he is not setting out to show critics that his methods work.
“Yeah, it hurts. It hurts a lot. The players gave everything again. We are going to look at a lot of things, but in terms of effort I can’t ask anymore of this group, things just didn’t go our way today,” Postecoglou said.
“It doesn’t come into my conscious[ness] trying to convince people, I’ve been around long enough that people will judge where we are at the moment, which hasn’t been good enough.
“In the next 10 days we should get some significant players back which will help. We still have fantastic opportunities to make an impact — I’m sure that will happen.”
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s atmosphere was souring even before the full-time whistle, with fans in some sections unfurling banners calling for change regarding the manager and at board level.
Protests against chairman Daniel Levy have grown louder in recent weeks as the team’s form has slumped, though Postecoglou said he considered unifying the club as part of his remit.
“When I took the role I wanted to unify the club, focusing on the one thing. It hasn’t worked out that way. It’s understandable the fans aren’t happy with the situation,” he said.
“I don’t speak regularly to [Levy] — we have regular contact in particular during the January period. Players and staff are united in what we’re trying to do. I’m not trying to convince people about we’re heading. That’s where I get the solace to say we can believe.”
Spurs are 15th in the league table with 24 points from 23 games, eight points above the relegation zone. The play Elfsborg in the Europa League on Thursday before a trip to Brentford on Sunday.