Thomas Frank has promised his Tottenham side will kick the losing habit ‘sooner rather than later’.
Form has crashed for Spurs since a promising start under the new boss and he enters a critical period of fixtures with a trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
'There are habits that can go both ways,' said Frank. 'There are good habits and bad habits. And, of course, winning is a good habit and losing is a bad habit.
'But underneath that is the habit of every staff member, every player. How do you react when there are setbacks in games and that is something we are really working very, very hard on. Something we have dealt OK with.'
Frank pointed to Brighton and Bodo/Glimt, two games in September when Spurs fought back from 2-0 down to draw.
The overall pattern was similar last season under Ange Postecoglou. A strong start but once the European campaign began, the players were not robust enough to cope with the extra physical and mental demands and the squad was strong or deep enough to cope with selection rotations designed to help.
The quality has dropped and momentum faded. This with a gentle Champions League draw. Those fixtures could have been so much more demanding.
Spurs have won only three and lost seven of their last 12 games. The wins at home against Copenhagen, Slavia Prague and Brentford.
European results are boosting the overall outlook. Spurs taken only five points from the last eight Premier League games but Palace is the first of six winnable league games which could change the pattern. Brentford, Sunderland, Bournemouth, West Ham and Burnley come next.
'There are bits going the right way, but we are not consistent enough to do that every third or fourth day,' said Frank. 'No matter how much I hate saying it, that’s an ongoing thing we need to work on. Small bits and good habits for a player. You want a player to do recovery runs 10/10 times and he does it 5/10 times.'
The Spurs boss snapped his fingers and added: 'He won’t do it like this 10/10 times. It maybe five-and-a-half, six, six-and-a-half, seven. That’s how it works.'
Frank remains confident he will solve the puzzle based on similar experiences working at Brondby and Brentford, where over time he improved both teams.
'I am convinced we will see a similar pattern here,' he said. 'I’m not in doubt of that because I know how to make a competitive team. We will make a very competitive team here as well.
'It’s normal. It’s not the first time in my career I haven’t found the team instantly but it’s coming over time. I know it will come. Probably sooner rather than later.'