"I can’t believe it. Tottenham look like they’re heading for relegation," said Carragher, warning that their rivals in the battle to stay up had "more to offer". The Londoners now occupy 18th place—their first relegation zone appearance in 17 years—after 32 of 38 matchdays. Despite sitting just two points above the drop zone, 15th-placed Leeds United, 16th-placed Nottingham Forest and 17th-placed West Ham United have all been picking up points more consistently lately.
Spurs have not won in the Premier League since late December, a run of 111 days that will stretch to 125 when they host Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday. Against Sunderland, Carragher saw an “even worse performance” than in the preceding weeks and highlighted the meagre tally of 0.15 expected goals in the second half. Yet new coach Roberto De Zerbi—the third manager at Spurs this season after Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor—was supposed to turn things around.
In the crucial weeks ahead, they still face bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers and rivals Leeds United, among others. Yet Carragher believes that, in their current form, Spurs would have “no chance” even against the Wolves. “On paper, the run-in looks kind to Tottenham,” Carragher added. “But they [Spurs] are terrible right now; they’re an easy opponent for anyone.”
Former professional Gary Neville has described a potential relegation as a “monstrous moment” and “unthinkable”. Former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara labelled the performance against Sunderland “absolutely shocking”. “Absolutely pathetic,” he said. “I can’t believe how bad this team has become. De Zerbi is a good manager, but he can’t work miracles; the players have to deliver for him.”
Despite splashing the cash on Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig) and Joao Palhinha (on loan from Bayern Munich) over the summer, large parts of the expensive squad have underperformed for weeks. Captain Cristian Romero also came under fire after the Sunderland game.
The club paid around €30 million for him, yet Bayern Munich are now rooting for their former loanee as Spurs fight to avoid the drop.
The 27-year-old departed the pitch after 70 minutes with apparent knee trouble, repeatedly rubbing his face as he left. BBC pundit Ben Forster dismissed suggestions that the Argentine’s distress was purely physical, implying instead that he had lost faith in his team. Spurs had gone behind nine minutes earlier.
“Romero is probably the only player in this team with real character, fighting spirit and determination. If I were his teammate, I’d want him to gather the squad after the match and rally them,” the 43-time England international emphasised, adding: “There are still 25 minutes left until the final whistle. But in my opinion, the tears send the wrong signal. As captain, you shouldn’t do something like that.”
De Zerbi later played down the injury, saying, “I hope it’s nothing serious. He’s a good lad and a good player with a strong personality. We need him to see out the season.” With only six matches remaining, Spurs need every available asset to turn their campaign around.