“Shock of the century?” No matter how you look at it, relegation from the Premier League is a real possibility for Tottenham.
The North London derby was also played at home on Sunday, with Spurs languishing in 16th place, just four points behind West Ham, who came close at the weekend.
With 11 games remaining, Spurs are in crisis. The Premier League regulars have not won in their last nine games in the top flight and will need a major change in form if they are to regain their spot.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Tottenham and Arsenal.
terrifying figure
Their recent performance is dismal. While the Champions League has been a welcome distraction and provided a platform for good results, Spurs’ performance in the Premier League has supporters seriously concerned.
Tottenham have been in the worst form of any team in their division over the past dozen games. Victory at Crystal Palace and a come-from-behind draw with Man City are all they can shout about during a period where they only have seven points.
Just below them in the table, Nottingham Forest and West Ham have each scored 12 points in the same period, closing the gap on Spurs by five points.
If these three teams maintain a similar trajectory, Tottenham’s final two games of the season (against Chelsea and then a home game against Everton) could be must-wins.
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The Football Show assesses whether Tottenham Hotspur are too good to be relegated from the Premier League this season.
injury problem
Of course, any assessment of the Spurs’ struggles requires mentioning this season’s crippling injury problems. In fact, this is the second consecutive season in which key players have been absent.
They are currently without more players than any other team in the Premier League, with 11 players absent.
Captain Cristian Romero was suspended for the derby, but the long absences of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have clearly contributed to the lack of attacking power this season, with Mohamed Kudus and Wilson Odbert also sidelined.
Spurs’ squad has reached a serious breaking point and will have to juggle winning the Champions League knockout with fighting for relegation in the coming weeks.
Last season, Ange Postecoglou was able to manage an injury-hit group by focusing entirely on Europe and reducing the team’s league form. Igor Tudor has no such luxury this time.
“Bad habits”
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Tottenham Hosper caretaker manager Igor Tudor has not held back on his side’s performance following their 4-1 home defeat to Arsenal, but is confident they will avoid relegation this season.
But perhaps the biggest problem he needs to solve is Spurs’ mentality.
“We had too many bad habits in the past,” he said after the defeat to Arsenal, reflecting the club’s mindset, which has been criticized in recent years by the likes of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank.
“No one can say we don’t have quality,” Tudor said. “But we need to change, we need to mentally switch on and have the mental sharpness and physicality to be in the game from the first minute or two.”
Given the pressure of Spurs’ situation, flipping that switch won’t be easy.
“It’s a team without character,” said former Spurs captain and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp. “They have to show some kind of individuality.”
What are the favorable matches?
They say there are no easy games in the Premier League, and there certainly aren’t any easy games for Tottenham right now.
But the matchup list is in their favor. Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Burnley all have more difficult games remaining than Spurs based on their opponents’ league positions.
However, no match can be taken for granted given that Spurs have picked up just two points in their last games against the four bottom teams in the league.
Tottenham’s remaining Premier League matches
The reason for hope is…
Expert opinion suggests north London should sound the alarm.
Redknapp said: “If Tottenham are not careful, they could end up in a different league.” “They can’t keep performing like this.”
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After Tottenham’s heavy north London derby defeat to Arsenal, Gary Neville said Spurs’ problems were no longer a one-off, but a worrying pattern.
Neville said: “They haven’t delivered for years, they’ve never found the right way to do things and this is their second season in this position.”
“It’s not a fluke anymore. This is your pattern and it’s going to be the shock of the century. It’s absolutely mind-boggling to think they might disappear from this league, but I don’t think they’ll disappear.”
Neville’s optimism is backed by Opta’s supercomputer, which calculates that Spurs have just a 4.4% chance of being eliminated.
Spurs fans may not be so sure…
