Season 2 of Ange Postecoglou is supposed to be the fun part.

Actually, at the risk of a scolding from the man himself, it is always the fun part. "Am I supposed to lie or just say it never happened? Do you really think it's me sort of boasting?" said the Tottenham manager this week, addressing the mixed reaction that followed him pointing out the consistent return of silverware in his second campaign at various clubs. Fans of Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F. Marinos and, of course, Celtic can attest to that fact. Success came even earlier at Parkhead, but it was in year two that it really clicked, and Postecoglou left Glasgow for London in the glow of a domestic clean sweep.

So, of course, nothing he said was untrue. To be honest, every reporter who's dealt with Postecoglou should know that essentially asking the guy if he still believes in himself is, rightly or wrongly, always going to be given short shrift. The 'negative' reaction, though, clearly stems from the context in which he's said it being immediately after another North London derby defeat (he's yet to win one), amid a longer run of 44 points from their last 32 Premier League matches. To some it might seem an odd time to forcefully flex your credentials, to others it may feel as though Postecoglou is making a rod for his own back, a stick for people to beat him with should that second season trend fritter out.

Postecoglou is unlikely to see it that way. His bullish single-mindedness is no small factor in leading him to where he is today, and him choosing that place and time to remind onlookers of his track record is pretty on-brand. The only certainty around what pans out from here is that he'll do it his way, regardless. Making eight changes for Wednesday's Carabao Cup clash with Coventry - one of three realistic avenues for a Spurs trophy this season - was certainly bold considering he did similar last season and saw it backfire. It almost did again, with Tottenham trailing until the 88th minute before conjuring two goals in four minutes to edge through.

Postecoglou was booed by the travelling support for substituting 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall ('I don't do substitutions by poll, mate', he said afterwards), and it gave some indication that some Spurs fan are no longer as in thrall to their manager as they were in those swashbuckling few months following his arrival. Postecoglou was the perfect antidote to the negativity that festered under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, his all-action football winning plaudits and, for a time, getting results. Injuries took their toll on a thin squad, however, and their output was always likely to regress to the mean at some point last season. But what turned into a prolonged stall as it wore on has yet to reignite, leaving Tottenham with just one win from their opening four Premier League matches. Despite a stirring finish to turn the midweek cup tie on its head, the overall display has garnered some abject reviews, described by some expert onlookers as among the very worst of the Australian's tenure, albeit one which can somewhat be explained away by the heavy rotation.

In the league, it's difficult to tell whether this is about to head further south for Postecoglou, or whether his side aren't actually all that far away from clicking again. Results haven't gone their way, but there's been some very fine margins involved. They left Newcastle justifiably feeling they deserved something from the game, and the weekend derby defeat to an admittedly weakened Arsenal was a largely even affair decided by Spurs' key weakness in defending set-pieces. Only one team, Nottingham Forest, conceded more from dead-ball situations last term, and it's an issue that has seemingly continued into this season. And that seems to be the overbearing issue with Postecoglou's team at the moment, the problems of late last term persisting into what should have been a fresh start.

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To break down that 44 points from 32 games further, their even more recent running total is 10 from the last 11. This new season may be in its infancy, but Tottenham have been trending downwards for a while. Is the slow start to 24/25 just that, a slow start, or a continuation of something more concerning? Either way, Postecoglou could do with it turning quickly given the Premier League's notoriously short supply of patience for managers. What's clear from his all-conquering spell in Scotland is that he will not compromise on the way he wants his team to play. The merits of staying the philosophical course no matter what can be debated all day long, and certainly were when Postecoglou's domestically dominant Celtic were taking body blows in Europe, but it's ultimately a pointless exercise. He won't change. 

There is a creeping suspicion, though, that the league's better sides may have worked out how to combat 'Angeball'. Arsenal were only too happy to allow Tottenham to have the ball, as were Newcastle, banking on their ability to reduce Postecoglou's side to harmless possession and wait for a chance to expose their weaknesses. Even if so, it feels too early to rule Postecoglou out. His managerial rise has been built on defying the preconceived notions that have surrounded him at various stages, and it would be foolish to say he won't be able to pull his team out of their current drift.

Drawing attention to his second season trophy record may have increased the pressure on Postecoglou to deliver, but you sense he probably wouldn't have it any other way.