The reckoning starts here for Ange Postecoglou – next six games are crucial for the Aussie as he attempts to steer Tottenham towards Champions League qualification in his maiden campaign at the club

No team in English professional football has played fewer games than Tottenham this season and with only a dozen Premier League outings in almost four months it has been particularly tedious since the turn of the year.

Now it all ends with a rush of six games in three weeks, starting with Sunday’s derby against Arsenal, and a reckoning of sorts to determine how Ange Postecoglou’s first year will go down in history.

No trophies. Nothing new there. More flair, big tap from the faithful. But can they qualify for the Champions League? Will they make it into the Europa League? Or worse? And how much satisfaction can they get if they manage to sabotage Arsenal’s title bid?

That is certainly not Postecoglou’s style. “I want to win and I understand the importance of winning against your traditional rival,” the Spurs boss said. ‘I’m from Glasgow and I have a good idea of ​​what derbies mean to the supporters, but I never believe that your motivation should revolve around the death of someone else.

‘Your motivation should be about yourself. I want to win because I want us to achieve something. I want us to make progress. I want us to be in a position to fight for the title. That’s what drives me, not the downfall.

How Ange Postecoglou’s first campaign at the club will be judged will be determined over the next three weeks

“If that’s your kind of measure, always looking over the fence to see what the neighbors are building, you could both have the worst houses on the street.”

Tottenham are fifth with the same points (60) and only five goals fewer (65) than all of last season, when they finished eighth. “I would be disappointed,” Postecoglou said when asked if he would have been happy with that result at the start of the season.

‘At the beginning of the year I wouldn’t have settled for fifth place. I would have tried to win it all.

‘Where we are is a good reflection of our season. We’ve been pretty good, but inconsistent. We’ve had some challenges, and I don’t think anyone would say we’re in a bad position. We have earned where we are, both from a good and a bad perspective.’

They made a blistering start and won with an arrogant swagger. And that was important. Postecoglou brought fun to a club where it was in short supply under his immediate predecessors.

Fun versus trophies is a moving scale, though. There will come a time when Spurs, with their glittering but distant past, will demand silverware.

For the time being, there is an atmosphere of contentment. The majority believe the latest boss has put them back on track, and a large part of that is down to their first ten league games, when they managed 26 points despite selling Harry Kane, the club’s record goalscorer, on the eve of the opening match. at Brentford.

The former Celtic boss admitted his side have been plagued by inconsistency this season

“You start a season and the most important person ever at this club has just left,” Postecoglou said. ‘I made a conscious effort to be like the old duck and look very graceful above the water. And if there is panic, make sure it is underwater, where no one can see it, especially the players. The players didn’t sleep a wink. And that could be because you can see what Harry did at Bayern, it was incredible.

“That’s an important player who has left and he hasn’t been mentioned as much as he would have if we hadn’t been successful. And if we hadn’t scored goals, his name would have come up a lot more.

“That’s a credit to the playing group and all these things we’ve been through will help us in the medium and long term because it takes away any excuses we have for next year. We’re not going to lose another Harry Kane. With a bit of luck we will have fewer injuries.’

Postecoglou has promised to review his training regime at the end of the season to see if anything can be changed to help.

Defender Destiny Udogie is the latest victim, who damaged a thigh during training. Udogie has undergone surgery and should be fit for next season, but will miss the 2024 European Championship with Italy.

Injuries to new signings Mickey van de Ven and James Maddison put an abrupt end to the good start in November. They struggled when Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr were absent on international duty and never found the same rhythm again.

Injuries to several key players ended an excellent start to the season for Spurs

“It feels like a really disrupted season,” Postecoglou said. “That’s where it’s hardest for me to judge, because there’s no real work. It’s like I’m taking samples everywhere. But we have six games to get an idea of ​​where we are.’

After Arsenal, there will be a London derby at Chelsea on Thursday, followed by a trip to Liverpool. A date with Manchester City is looming between the games against Burnley and Sheffield United.

“Six big ones,” Postecoglou said. ‘If you are at a big club and your ambition is to compete for honours, you have to be prepared to embrace the big games. That’s the reality. You can’t ignore it.’