Nayim believes that Tottenham are still in a very worrying position despite their recent win and claims that the club has failed to replace the leadership of Harry Kane.
Tottenham finally secured their first victory of the calendar year last weekend with a hard-fought win against Wolves. However, the three points weren’t enough to pull the club out of the bottom three.
Spurs remain in the relegation zone, sitting just two points behind West Ham. With the Hammers also picking up points, the battle for Premier League survival is reaching fever pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Former Spurs midfielder Nayim, who played over 100 times for the club between 1988 and 1993, admits he is shocked by the current state of his former side. The Spaniard insists the injury crisis at Hotspur Way cannot be used as a shield for the team’s overall performance this season.
Nayim claims Harry Kane’s departure is at the heart of Tottenham struggles
While the win against Wolves has provided a glimmer of hope for Roberto de Zerbi, Nayim pointed directly to the void left by the club’s former captain as the main reason for the season’s collapse.
Nayim believes that without Harry Kane, Tottenham have lost their authority in both boxes. This lack of “forcefulness” is why the club has fallen from Champions League spots to a direct relegation scrap with the likes of West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
Nayim told MARCA: “It is worrying and unexpected what is happening. The normal thing would be for them to be near the middle of the table. They blame it on injuries, but it is not a valid excuse.
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“Harry Kane did a lot of damage by leaving. Now the problem is in both areas; they don’t dominate either. Before, Cuti Romero was spectacular, and also Pedro Porro, for example. Now they lack punch, and they are struggling at both ends of the pitch.”
Nayim warns that the drop still is a ‘real danger’ for Spurs
Despite the morale boost from the Wolves result, Nayim remains wary. He warned that “big clubs” often lack the experience of “knowing how to suffer”, which is essential when fighting at the bottom of the table.
As Tottenham prepare for their final run-in, including the survival battle, the FA Cup and Community Shield winner highlighted the psychological pressure on the squad.
He added: “Tottenham is one of the five greats of English football, and when you enter that situation, you don’t know how to get out. They are doing things that are not usual, and relegation is a real danger.
“I think they will pull through because of the team and history, but for the big teams to be here is difficult because you have to know how to suffer. Playing at the bottom is hard.