Tottenham Hotspur have had to cope with the unwanted attention manager Mauricio Pochettino has received this week in the wake of Jose Mourinho's sacking with the Argentine now favourite to be Manchester United's next permanent manager.
Pochettino has enough to contend with in his current job over the next 10 days with Spurs facing four winnable fixtures, starting at Everton on Sunday, that could propel them into the title race or limit ambitions to a top-four finish for a fourth straight season.
After Liverpool's win over Wolves on Friday, Tottenham trail the leaders by nine points and second-placed Manchester City by five.
Yet, with Liverpool facing a tough run of festive fixtures with Arsenal at home on December 29 followed by a trip to City on January 3, there could be a chance for Spurs to cut the gap as they also face Bournemouth, Wolves and Cardiff before New Year's Day.
To do so, though, Pochettino will need to continue getting the maximum from a squad that remains alive in four competitions despite being ravaged by injuries to many of their World Cup stars, coupled with the lack of any summer signings.
"The most important thing is the belief," said Pochettino ahead of the trip to Goodison Park.
"It's difficult to translate to the fans or to the media the genuine belief in the squad.
"Of course, all the names and players are very important but after that it's about the squad, about the collective, about the team."
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"(But) if you really believe, how we believe in our squad, you can do a great job."