Ange Postecoglou has ripped up Tottenham blueprint with defiant ten-word Premier League statement

Sack rumours? What sack rumours? Boy can one result change an entire fanbase's mindset.

Five wins and five defeats in the first 11 games, Tottenham in 10th place in the table: things were far from rosy in the garden in N17. Defeat to Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Brighton had left Spurs supporters scratching their heads and wondering where the team were going.

Then came Saturday. A trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Pep Guardiola's reigning Premier League champions and Spurs were magnificent.

Everything that was wrong from the 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town was suddenly perfect for the trip to the Etihad. And that was without the first-choice defensive pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. It was also without the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.

Spurs ran riot at Man City - yes you read that right - winning 4-0 to inflict City's first home defeat in 53 matches.

Following that defeat to the Tractor Boys, I wrote that Spurs faced a defining run of fixtures that could determine Ange Postecoglou's future at the club. For the first time in season-and-a-half (ish) there were real murmurings of discontent in the fanbase.

Winning the first match, against City no less, in such commanding manner, is the perfect tonic for Postecoglou and Spurs, who moved up to sixth and are just four points off second-placed City now.

It could be that victory at the Etihad Stadium is the platform for Tottenham to kick on now and put a run of results together, just when they need it most, after the most inconsistent of starts to the campaign.

Roma come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, for a big Europa League clash. The Serie A side have a new manager in situ, with Claudio Ranieri in the hotseat.

After that come games against Fulham (home), Bournemouth (away), Chelsea (home), Rangers (away), Southampton (home), Manchester United (Carabao Cup quarter-final at home) and Liverpool (home) before Christmas.

It is a gruelling schedule and one that looked pretty daunting after the defeat to Ipswich before the international break. Now, it looks like an exciting challenge, one that Postecoglou and his team should be relishing. After the win at City Postecoglou said: "We're a much better team this year than last year, we just need to find consistency."

Spurs got off to a near perfect start last season in Postecoglou's first year in charge, toping the table after going the first 10 games unbeaten. This time around, the first 11 matches were as inconsistent as anything Spurs fans have seen before - and that's saying something. If it turns the other way, and consistency is found in the next 27 matches - starting at City on Saturday - things will look very nice indeed come the end of the season.

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