“This is probably as low as we have been this year.”
Ange Postecoglou’s comments after Tottenham Hotspur lost to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon were an understatement. Spurs have lost four successive games in the Premier League and are on their longest winless run in the competition (seven matches) since 2008. The only team they have beaten in their last 11 fixtures is bottom-side Southampton.
Everton were on a six-game winless run until they faced Tottenham at Goodison Park on January 19. Leicester were in an even worse situation following seven defeats in a row. Spurs gifted both sides three points. The memes and jokes about ‘Doctor Tottenham’ have flooded social media. Their recent run of results is similar to that of clubs fighting against relegation. They are second-bottom of the six-game form table, with only Southampton below them.
Tottenham took the lead against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side through Richarlison’s header but imploded in a manic five-minute period at the start of the second half. It means they have dropped more points (21) from winning positions than any other team this season.
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It feels like everything is spiralling out of control. Senior players are underperforming, the injuries are piling up, fans are angry with the board and Postecoglou is struggling to find a solution. How much longer can Spurs go on like this?
Tottenham’s form has been inconsistent ever since that 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November 2023 when Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were sent off but they stuck with a high defensive line. Since then, they have won 19 games, drawn seven and lost 25 for a total of 64 points from 51 games. That is not good enough when you consider Aston Villa finished fourth last season with 68 points from 38 matches.
The first week of February feels defining. In the league, Tottenham face Brentford, who have an impressive record at home, and then play Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. They finish off a punishing eight days away to Villa in the FA Cup.
If Spurs are dumped out of both cup competitions and lose to Brentford, then Postecoglou’s job will surely be in serious danger. If he manages to beat Liverpool and take Spurs one step closer to winning a first trophy since 2008, then maybe you could argue all the pain and humiliation of the last few weeks was worth it.
Tottenham’s injury crisis is a complex issue with lots of factors. Djed Spence and James Maddison are the latest to pick up injuries, while Yves Bissouma was only fit enough for the bench against Leicester. It is an almost impossible situation to manage as the moment one player comes back, another seems to suffer an injury.
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However, Postecoglou admitted that Pape Matar Sarr — who started and came off in the 54th minute — should not have played because “he obviously was not fit”. Why did Postecoglou start Sarr in central midfield, and risk him suffering more damage, when Archie Gray could have performed there with Sergio Reguilon at left-back?
Home supporters booed the decision to take off Richarlison at the same time as Sarr. Postecoglou revealed the Brazilian striker “was feeling his groin” and that “he should have come off at half-time but he wanted to give another 10 minutes”.
Richarlison has only just returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out for two months. The 27-year-old had limited involvement in pre-season because of a persistent calf issue. He has not been fully fit and match-sharp at any stage this season. Asking him to start two matches in four days was questionable, but should Postecoglou have let him play for another 10 minutes if “(he) could see he was not running well”, as the manager said?
Lessons seem not to have been learned from the defeat to Chelsea in December when Romero and Micky van de Ven went off injured on their return from toe and hamstring injuries respectively.
Many fans directed their frustration at the chairman, Daniel Levy, throughout the game against Leicester. Postecoglou deserves some sympathy for the fact Levy and technical director Johan Lange have failed to sign any players, apart from goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, in the transfer window.
Tottenham’s squad was struggling to cope with the demands of European competition even before it was decimated by injuries. Tottenham’s best players over the last month have been Gray and Lucas Bergvall. It is amazing these two 18-year-olds are shining in difficult circumstances, but it tells you everything you need to know about the lack of options and quality running through the rest of the squad. Spurs desperately need reinforcements and it is not Postecoglou’s fault that none have arrived.
A brief confrontation between Postecoglou and a supporter was caught on camera at full time. The 59-year-old appeared to attempt to respond to the fan before he was dragged away in scenes that echoed what happened after the defeat to Bournemouth in December. Levy is bearing the brunt of the fanbase’s anger, but they are turning on Postecoglou in increasing numbers.
So where do Tottenham go from here? The problems are mounting as they slowly limp towards the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. Postecoglou spoke about potentially having “significant players back” in the next two weeks before that fixture, but was asked directly if he would still be in charge by then.
“Who knows?” he said. “I reckon there is probably a fair chunk (of people) that will say no. When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that. I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.
“My role within that is to try and support these players. I can even see in training when the guys who are coming back it is going to give everybody a lift. As I keep saying to the players, there is a fantastic opportunity this season to make an impact and I know we can.”
Postecoglou might be convinced that Spurs can achieve something special this season but all of the evidence suggests they are heading towards disaster.
(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)