Tottenham’s slide toward the relegation zone has left supporters contemplating a fall from the top flight, the report says, and calls this campaign potentially the worst in English football history on multiple measures including financial security and sporting expectations.
The report traces the decline to a raft of possible causes, including limited spending around the stadium move, Mauricio Pochettino’s dismissal five months after the Champions League final defeat in 2019, and a run of managerial appointments beginning with José Mourinho and culminating in Igor Tudor’s 44-day spell. It also cites behind-the-scenes upheaval after the Lewis family ousted Daniel Levy at the start of the season and says responsibility is widely shared.
On the pitch, the report says Tottenham’s survival task has been made harder by rivals’ form. It notes Nottingham Forest on 42 points and Leeds United and Crystal Palace on 43, with West Ham — Spurs’ closest rivals — having taken 11 points from their last seven games. The report adds that Forest and Leeds have not lost since the beginning of March, leaving some unusual late-season momentum among teams near the foot of the table.
Injuries are highlighted as a central problem. The report recalls that when Ange Postecoglou’s team began to falter last season it was linked to intense training methods, but says the issue persisted after his summer exit. It reports serious, badly timed absences, naming James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski as sidelined all season by knee injuries, notes Xavi Simons has since shared their fate, and records that only Mathys Tel of the players who have been at the club all season has not missed a game through injury. The report also cites low attacking metrics, including an xG of 0.05 in a 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea and 0.07 in an away defeat to Arsenal, as evidence of a lack of creativity.
Ultimately, the report says the key question is how the campaign will end. It warns that should relegation be confirmed, plenty of seasoned international footballers could find themselves playing in the Championship next season, and it stresses that despite a win over Aston Villa lifting the mood, Spurs still face a significant task to secure top-flight status.
