Ange Postecoglou is a man under pressure. The Australian has endured a difficult second season in charge in N17, with Spurs 11th in the Premier League table heading into Christmas.

Spurs lost their eighth game of the league season on Sunday when suffering a horrific 6-3 reverse at home to league leaders Liverpool. It was, as the national media described it, "men against boys" with the visitors fully deserving of the three points.

It has been an inconsistent season to date, reflected in their league position and Postecoglou is becoming increasingly under pressure at the helm. Following the 6-3 defeat he is now the second favourite manager to be sacked next in the Premier League, just behind West Ham's Julen Lopetegui.

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But Postecoglou can point to the number of injuries he has suffered during this season, with key players unavailable for much of the campaign.

After Christmas he will likely see some important players returning to the first team setup and there are certain players in the squad that Postecoglou needs to call upon and build his team around to ensure he remains in a job and gets Tottenham moving on up the Premier League table.

Here football.london takes a look at those players that need to be the first names on the teamsheet after Christmas.

Micky van de Ven

One of the best defenders in the Premier League on his day and boy how Tottenham have missed him at the heart of their defence. He was a huge miss last season when he got injured and it's no coincidence that Spurs' poor run of form this year has coincided with the Dutchman's absence from the first team.

He is due back in the new year and when he is fit again he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet. Postecoglou's style of football relies heavily on his pace and Spurs are a much better team with van de Ven in the side.

Rodrigo Bentancur

The Uruguayan midfielder has been missing for seven matches due to his FA suspension for comments about teammate Son Heung-min in an interview with a South American journalist. He will make his return to the first team in the Boxing Day clash with Nottingham Forest.

He is another, who on his day, is an outstanding midfielder and can play in a variety of positions in that midfield trio. He's been a big miss over the last month or so and should go straight back into the side now he's back.

Dejan Kulusevski

Need we say more about the Swede? He has been, by far, Tottenham's best player this season. He's made a huge claim to be part of the captaincy team as well, his leadership on the pitch is there for all to see, not just with his pointing and shouting but he leads by example too, very rarely stopping running.

He can play in the ten role or he can play off the wing, but wherever he plays, he will have a huge role to play in getting Spurs back to their best.