Paul Lambert has dismissed the heat on him ahead of Aston Villa's tussle with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Villa manager is preparing to run the home gauntlet after his side lost their past five games without scoring.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is also under pressure from fans because of a stuttering campaign that sees his side mid-table in the English Premier League.
The former Southampton boss has seen his team win just once in their past seven league games, and they lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle last Sunday.
Lambert has not had a win to savour since signing a new four-year contract in September but he said the criticism does not worry him.
“It’s just the way football works, you just have to turn it around,” Lambert said. “It would be more nail-biting if we had five games to go but we’re 10 games into the season. You’ve got to be able to handle it.”
Villa lost to Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City before they went down 2-0 at QPR on Monday.
Lambert said the fixture list had not been kind and it has given his side a mental battering.
“The difference against the top five is that it’s relentless. Physically and mentally – the mental toughness for that is excruciating at times,” he said.
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