I would think he felt the heat a lot more in October, after a dreadful end to the season, full preseason and then lower half of the table, while press and people on social media where unisonly talking about him being out of his league. At that time he talked up the players, to the constrrnation of quite a few here who wanted him to shred them in public as well as behind the scenes.
Now, after 14 unbeaten and passage to the SF and QF of the cups, coming off two straight wins, and while most of the press is publicly eating humble pie (wether it’s premature or not), the heat seems palpably less. And this is the time he choses to put pressure on the players.
To me it seems very deliberate, and the point of it seems obvious for someone concerned with the both the confidence and attitude of the players.