Hotspur HQ

Even though Tottenham Hotspur did not win against Brighton and ended up surrendering two goals, Antonin Kinsky's second start in a row between the goal posts went very well. Kinsky was unlucky to have conceded last weekend in a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, and neither of the two goals the Seagulls put past him were remotely his fault.

On the other hand, Kinsky looked right at home on the ball. His command of the box and distribution continue to imrpess the Tottenham faithful, and for a young goalkeeper who has barely played this season, the Czech shot stopper has looked a lot less shaky on the ball and in other aspects of the game besides making saves than incumbent Guglielmo Vicario.

And as Tottenham fans have figured out this season as the remain sitting in one of the three Premier League relegation places, those other things besides the saves that are on the stat sheet make a huge difference in wins and losses. In fact, those kinds of mistakes on the ball and in the air can be even more devastating in the table.

Tottenham's GK controversy rises

Vicario is wanted badly by Inter Milan as their Yann Sommer replacement, and every single transfer rumor out of Italy and England seems to point to the inevitability of Vic going to the Nerazzurri this summer. There is a chance Roberto De Zerbi tries to convince the veteran Italian international to stick around, sure, but you have to think that with Antonin Kinsky playing well twice now, the chances of De Zerbi even wanting Vicario back have to be waning.

Guglielmo Vicario has no real future upside to Tottenham Hotspur, and they could make a pretty penny by selling him. That is important for a team seemingly destined to kick down to the EFL Championship, which would then also mean that a dream Vicario replacement like James Trafford would be entirely unachievable. And you can forget about Dutchmen Robin Roefs and Bart Verbruggen, too.

Tottenham may already have their Vicario replacement in Kinksy. He has responded so well from those harsh slips against Atletico Madrid, and, to be honest, it would be cruel to fault him for unlucky mistakes in a massive game when the young man had not even played for months - and great players on Barcelona had been slipping in that very same pitch, too.

Kinsky impressing lately makes Vicario even more expendable, and there have always been Tottenham fans who feel Kinsky is the better keeper anyway. And now, they will also feel a bit of vindication.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi finally gave Xavi Simons the start, and the young Dutch star rewarded Spurs with a goal and an assist to help them get a 2-2 draw against De Zerbi's former employers Brighton. Without Simons, though, Spurs would have definitely lost this game, as the rest of the front line was atrocious - no surprise, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani have been two of the worst strikers in the league lately - and the defense doesn't know how to close the deal.

So while Spurs were more positive than they were in their previous losses to Sunderland and Nottingham Forest when they didn't even score a goal, the Lilywhites remain in one of the three Premier League relegation places and look almost certain to go down.

Compounding that sentiment was what happened elsewhere in the relegation fight. Because, once again, a team just ahead of Spurs was impressive and got the job done in a big way at the same time that Spurs could not.

Nottingham Forest extended their lead on Tottenham Hotspur further by beating up on Burnley 4-1, another team in the relegation battle - albeit one ranked much lower than Spurs and not really in the competition.

Morgan Gibbs-White should have been on Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur were able to actually put some goals past the opposition this weekend, scoring twice behind the reintroduction of star man Xavi Simons into the starting lineup. Though the goals were no thanks to the strikers, as Roberto De Zerbi rolled with two No. 9's again, this time discarding Richarlison from the trio last week.

It was Dominic Solanke who started in the middle and Randal Kolo Muani on the right hand side, with Spurs fans befuddled as to why the leading scorer of the three and the only one remotely anywhere near the word "form" was discarded. Richarlison is a great weapon to have in a relegation fight, and unlike Solanke and Kolo Muani, in particular, he seems to actually be bothered about the prospect of Spurs going down.

Now, De Zerbi may have just been trying to gas up a player to help his morale- or, more cynically perhaps, his transfer value - but the Italian manager did have some pretty strong words of praise for Solanke before the 2-2 draw with Brighton.

Roberto De Zerbi thinks highly of Dominic Solanke

He said at the press conference, via The Spurs Express, “Dominic Solanke is one of the best strikers in the Premier League.”

Wait, what? I'm not even sure Dominic Solanke himself would believe that. Though he was excellent in the 2023/24 season for Bournemouth before joining Tottenham Hotspur, the 65 million pound record signing has been mediocre, at absolute best, at the N17. Solanke did have a great purple patch of form this season after finally coming back from a foot injury, but, lately, he has been terrible and posing no go threat.

So it is strange to see that Roberto De Zerbi is such a believer in Solanke, and because he has started him in back to back games as his main 9 in the formation, it is fair to wonder if De Zerbi really does believe the Kool Aid on Solanke that he is making us all drink.

But what is annoying about the Solanke love is that it has come at the expense of players who have been a lot better this season. Forget Richarlison, because while he works hard and has scored more goals, his all around play has left a lot to be desired.

What about young Mathys Tel? The Frenchman was brilliant before De Zerbi arrived and booted him out of two starting lineups against Sunderland and Brighton. Tel has outplayed all the other forwards this season, and if De Zerbi's adulation for Solanke means fewer minutes for Tel, than that is a huge problem.

Overall, praise is due to Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi, because after a rough Spurs debut last weekend in a shutout loss to Sunderland, Spurs were finally the better side in a Premier League match when they took on his former employers Brighton.

Spurs still have work to do, especially when it comes to actually closing the deal for a "W", but this 2-2 draw with the Seagulls was a markedly better performance from the Lilywhites than any of their last recent matches in the Premier League.

Yet when you don't win, there is always room for improvement, and De Zerbi himself still has some things to learn in the manager's chair. His starting lineup selection was far from ideal even in his second game as manager, and he made two mistakes that he really shouldn't be repeating if he wants to set up Spurs well enough to, you know, actually win a Premier League game while on this 15 winless streak.

Archie Gray needs to be starting

He snubbed Mathys Tel from the attack for a second straight game, and while he did wise up enough to start Xavi Simons, it would be better to play him as a midfielder and have Tel either as a second striker or left winger. Before De Zerbi's arrival, Tel was the best attacker Tottenham had, and the former Marseille manager seemed to acknowledge his quality, too.

Getting Tel back in the Tottenham XI would be wise, but there is another change the Italian coach has to make when Spurs take on Wolves next weekend in what is surely a do or die matchup for the Lilywhites. He has to get Archie Gray back in the ilneup, too.

The young English midfielder was the best Tottenham Hotspur player in the previous month before Roberto De Zerbi got the job from Igor Tudor, as Gray is the focal point from the build up play and the source of the best progression this team has.

In his second game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Roberto De Zerbi offered the Lilywhites a real chance at hope and growth. Following a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, Tottenham were much more effective at moving the ball forward, creating chances, and getting out of their own half and into the final third than in the last 10 Premier League outings.

Although Spurs came up short and drew 2-2 to De Zerbi's former employers Brighton, they were a bit unlucky not to have broken up a now 15 game winless streak in the English Premiership. Obviously, De Zerbi coming to his senses and actually starting star man Xavi Simons helped a lot, but the emergence of a returning Rodrigo Bentancur from injury was also a huge story in the match.

Tottenham have been poor everywhere in the side this season, hence why they are in the relegation places, but their midfield has been particularly gruesome. Archie Gray and Simons are young gems, but there are a lot of veteran players who been underperforming badly or are simply not good enough for the club.

Rodrigo Bentancur actually looked lively

Bentancur, prior to tearing his hamstring a few months ago, was moreso in the former than the latter camp. Although Benta has never been world class, he was very good to start his Tottenham Hotspur career, improving from a poor finish to his Juventus career. Lately, though, the Uruguayan international had been revealing the worst habits at Spurs of the end to his Juve days, with Thomas Frank bringing out the most cowardly side of Bentancur's football.

In his first game under Roberto De Zerbi, Bentancur actually looked great. He was moving the ball forward and focusing less on sideways carries and more on progressing the ball before quickly getting away to Xavi Simons or someone else.

Defensively, Rodrigo Bentancur played the best he has all season against Brighton with a whopping six combined tackles and interceptions for the Tottenham cause. Bentancur was snapping into tackles and didn't stand on ceremony after making the interventions.

Tottenham need to see much more from Bentancur before anointing him as a clear starter and an improved player under De Zerbi, but this was indeed a much better performance from a refreshed and rejuvenated Benta upon his injury return.

Spurs need solutions in midfield with experience, guts, and quality. So often this season, Bentancur had disappointed in the last of these two categories, but perhaps De Zerbi has gotten a roaring lion out of the once touted former Juventus youngster in midfield,

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to seal the deal, but against a better opponent in Brighton, Spurs looked competent for the better part of 90 minutes and certainly played much better than they did offensively in Roberto De Zerbi's second game in charge than they did in the first or in the preceding 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but Spurs were better at creating chances and moving the ball in this one, already showing growth under the new manager. And no player made a bigger statement to the coach than Xavi Simons.

The most talented player on Tottenham, Simons cost the club 60 million euros and has been a starter in pretty much every win for Spurs this season. After De Zerbi brutally snubbed the Dutchman in his first game in charge and then made comments insinuating that Simons may only play about 30 minutes off the bench, Simons ended up being THE key player against De Zerbi's former employers.

Xavi Simons is crucial to Spurs

With a goal and an assist, Xavi Simons was at the heart of everything good in this 2-2 draw with Brighton for Tottenham. From an all around perspective, he ws brilliant and showed an intensity that many of his teammates have been sorely lacking. Simons totaled off two key passes, two dribbles completed, and four fouls drawn.

Even though Simons didn't get to play as a true No. 10, with James Maddison coming back from injury soon, Simons shning off the left of the formation is not a bad thing at all. And regardless of where he plays in the XI, it is far, far better for Tottenham Hotspur to have Simons involved in the lineup than not involved at all.

Roberto De Zerbi made an inexcusable error by benching Simons in his first game in charge, and in a shutout loss to Sunderland, the Dutch midfielder's presence was clearly missed. By shining to this degree as the best player on the pitch for Tottenham in a rather unlucky draw, Simons has proven to De Zerbi that he needs to be starting in every single game.

De Zerbi made the mistake of not starting Simons, but now seeing the full extent of the difference in the team's overall play, progression, and chance creation with and without Simons, you had better believe the Italian manager won't be making that same error twice.

The most must-win of must-win games beckons for Tottenham Hotspur if they're to preserve their Premier League status, but they're up against the in-form Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

Roberto De Zerbi thus takes on his former employers on his home bow as Spurs boss, having overseen a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on debut last week.

The Lilywhites have slipped into the bottom three, and risk being cut adrift should they lose again on home soil. With fellow relegation rivals enjoying more comfortable outings this weekend, Spurs may have to win merely to keep in touch.

De Zerbi didn't quite get his team selection right at the Stadium of Light, so it'll be interesting to see what he opts for against the Seagulls. Here's how we think he could line up.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Antonín Kinsky (GK)—The young Czech goalkeeper was one of the very few bright sparks last Sunday, and De Zerbi has confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario hasn't recovered from his hernia surgery in time to return this weekend.

Pedro Porro (RB)—I fear for Porro up against the one-on-one demons Brighton have out wide. Fabian Hürzeler could opt for the dribbling scholar Kaoru Mitoma or the more direct Yankuba Minteh to terrorise the Spaniard.

Kevin Danso (CB)—Danso has a huge role to play down the stretch after captain Cristian Romero partially tore his MCL last weekend.

Micky van de Ven (CB)—The broken Dutchman has got to pull himself together for these next six games. Danny Welbeck won't test his recovery speed, but he's a canny box operator who could outwit Van de Ven from crossing situations.

Destiny Udogie (LB)—I feel like Udogie has an important role to play for De Zerbi, potentially as an attacking weapon. Spurs need a spark from somewhere; perhaps their left-back will provide it.

Midfielders

Archie Gray (CM)—Gray should retain his place despite a quiet showing last weekend, and he may well benefit from having a new midfield partner.

Yves Bissouma (CM)—It's time to trust Biss again. Sure, you never know what he's going to do at any given moment, but it's worth taking a risk on his boom or bust nature at this stage.

Lucas Bergvall (AM)—This isn't the direction I'd go, but De Zerbi's comments on Xavi suggests the Dutch playmaker will only play a role off the bench. He may well stick with Bergvall as his most advanced midfielder, which doesn't bring the best out of the Swede at this level.

Forwards

Randal Kolo Muani (RW)—Square peg in a round hole. Kolo Muani looks relatively awkward down the right, but he is really fast and we've got to try and exploit that against the Seagulls.

Richarlison (ST)—Dominic Solanke hasn't offered anywhere near enough over the past few weeks, so I'd trust the technically deficient Richarlison to get us out of this mess.

Tottenham are in a fight for their Premier League lives, now in the relegation zone and two points from safety heading into this weekend's action. Spurs face Brighton this weekend, with Roberto De Zerbi going up against his old side, and the new boss could do with a big result.

As cliche as it may be, every game is a cup final at this point, and Spurs are going to need to produce some big performances with time running out. Here we round up all the latest surrounding the relegation picture.

Current table

Predicted final table

Here is the final predicted table, as calculated by OPTA's simulation system, which uses various simulations to produce a most likely points average.

Run-ins compared

Leeds United: Wolves (H), AFC Bournemouth (A), Burnley (H) , Tottenham (A), Brighton (H), West Ham (A).

Nottingham Forest: Burnley (H), Sunderland (A), Chelsea (A), Newcastle United (H), Man Utd (A), AFC Bournemouth (A).

West Ham: Crystal Palace (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle United (A), Leeds United (H).

Tottenham: Brighton (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds United (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H).

Run-ins compared

Leeds are well on their way to safety at this point, and they will feel that another three or four points will likely get them to safety. Given they play Wolves and Burnley, along with a couple of relegation rivals, they should be confident of wrapping up safety.

Forest likely need two wins and a draw or two, but their fixtures are much more tricky, putting plenty of pressure on that Burnley clash. Forest have a fixture list to fear.

West Ham are in a similar spot in terms of points needed, and they too have some tricky games, but they do have some momentum in their sails. They will be looking at Palace, Everton, and Leeds as the most winnable games, especially given the latter are likely to be home and dry by the last game.

Spurs, meanwhile, have the most work to do, and it won't be easy against Brighton this weekend, as De Zerbi will know all too well. Wolves is a must-win game, and you look at Leeds and Everton as the most winnable games, not that either are easy games by any stretch. Chelsea and Villa are the standout tricky games, but Spurs are going to need some big results somewhere along the line.

After losing 1-0 to Sunderland in another toothless attacking performance despite having Roberto De Zerbi in charge, Tottenham Hotspur's relegation from the Premier League is starting to feel like an inevitability to the suffering Spurs fan base. Especially with West Ham United and Leeds United impressing with big wins and Nottingham Forest having recently trumped Spurs 3-0, the plight of the Lilywhites has long past moved a point of desperation along a 14 game winless streak.

So as Spurs supporters contemplate the ramifications of relegation, the wage bill and future financial health of Tottenham comes to mind. Tottenham have quite a few players who are directly responsible for this relegation battle and futility, and these players are both poor and overpaid.

Even though Daniel Levy was smart enough to plan for the contingency of relegation with steep 50 percent wage cuts across the board, as Football.London's Kasra Moradi charts, there are still going to be some hefty wages paid to several Spurs players in the 2026/27 season if they are in the EFL Championship.

Conor Gallagher is a real low point

The worst two offenders will be two recent, overpaid signings who have been atrocious in recent weeks, striker Dominic Solanke and center midfielder Conor Gallagher. Solanke had a month of a purple patch in his return from injury but has been even worse recently. The record 65 million pound summer 2024 transfer will still make 70,000 pounds per week in the EFL Championship, and while that does not seem like a lot at the outset, it is a ton of money for a guy who barely scores - let alone has his name even uttered on the broadcast with how invisible he is.

But obviously, nothing tops Gallagher in terms of sheer regret. Tottenham Hotspur only just signed the former Chelsea and Crystal Palace rival from Atletico Madrid, but they both overapid the Rojiblancos to beat out Aston Villa to the midfielder - and, worse yet, they broke their wage structure to bring in a player who was already pretty lousy for Atleti anyway.

Gallagher has been even worse for Tottenham. Even with the wage reduction accounted for, the English No. 8 would still be on the books for 80,000 pounds per week. Only Cristian Romero, Xavi Simons, and James Maddison would make more.

Maybe Cristian Romero should be mentioned as a third player then, at nearly 100,000 pounds per week even on reduced wages. But firstly, Romero leaving Spurs is a foregone conclusion at this point. And secondly, unlike Solanke and Gallagher, he's actually a good player and still worth that money in a vaccuum. Solanke and Gallagher are so bad, they don't even deserve 50,000 per week.

Tottenham Hotspur need to upgrade their squad this summer transfer window, but even if they stay up in the Premier League, it is not going to be easy for them to convince the players they need to improve their squad to join a team that will not have European football and is spiraling. Roberto De Zerbi and a few quality young pieces like Archie Gray are sources of optimism, but there is so much more to be pessimistic about.

The recruitment strategy at Spurs has now devolved, somehow, after Daniel Levy's departure. Because at least Levy was bringing in high upside young players like Lucas Bergvall, Gray, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert, and more.

This past winter transfer window, Spurs did sign Souza, but they also signed Conor Gallagher. Now, they are after Andrew Robertson again and appear to already have a deal agreed with the aging Liverpool left back, should they stay up in the Premier League this season.

Marcos Senesi is getting closer

Well, Andy Robertson isn't the only one. The Athletic's transfer insider David Ornstein is reporting that Tottenham Hotspur are now in "advanced talks" to sign a player who had been linked to them for months and is now increasingly being linked, Bournemouth center back Marcos Senesi. Further, Ornstein says that Spurs are the "leading contender" to sign Senesi, provided, of course, as with Robertson, they do not get relegated to the EFL Championship. Ornstein cautions that a deal is far from done, but a lot of signs are pointing to Senesi to the N17.

While Senesi is having a good season for Bournemouth, the Argentinian defender's play has quietly tailed off over the past couple of months. He is a great pure ball winner and an aggressive defender, but he is a very poor man's Cristian Romero at 28.

Senesi makes all the frustrating defensive errors as Romero without the same athletic quality and technical ability on the ball. Tottenham may be interested in Senesi as a stylistic replacement for Romero on a budget play as a free agent, but that is obviously a case of Spurs moving in the wrong direction again, cheapening out for a known veteran commodity instead of replacing a star with a better star to up their chances at European football.

As Chelsea and the others quietly drop out of the Marcos Senesi transfer race and Tottenham become a bigger favorite for the center back, Spurs fans have to be even more concerned about the direction Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham are taking them in.