Tottenham Hotspur are heading for the Championship and will unlikely win another game this season, according to a sickened Jamie Carragher, while Gary Neville has explained why the “unthinkable” can happen for the fallen Premier League giants.
Despite being regarded as one of the Premier League’s traditional ‘big six’, Spurs are in massive danger of the drop, with Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Sunderland ensuring they are now 18th in the table and, for the first time this season, no longer have their own fate in their hands.
Having now gone 14 games without a victory – the third longest by any side in Premier League history since the turn of a calendar year – Tottenham Hotspur are now staring down the barrel with demotion to the second tier, for the first time since 1977, now a very feasible scenario for a club that many feel boasts the best stadium in world football.
Spurs now have six games left to save themselves, and, by the time they face Brighton in their next game on Saturday, it will be 111 days since their last Premier League victory.
After surveying that toothless loss at the Stadium of Light, though, Carragher has delivered a worrying relegation verdict that will leave their fans, just last season celebrating a first major trophy in 17 years, feeling a little sick inside.
“I can’t believe it. Tottenham look like they’re going to go down,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “The other [relegation-threatened] teams have something going for them.”
Spurs still have both Wolves (20th) and Leeds (15th) to play this season, potentially handing them hope, though the Sky Sports pundit doesn’t even think they will have enough to see off the division’s bottom side, so bad have they been…
“You look at fixtures, you think that’s a good game for Tottenham. But they’re awful. Tottenham’s a good game for them.
“Wolves are bottom of the league. Do you think Tottenham will go there, and win? No chance.”
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Gary Neville on why the ‘unthinkable’ could happen at Tottenham
Carragher’s colleague, Neville, meanwhile, believes the race for survival is arguably as interesting as the race for the title, claiming that Spurs will be the biggest ever side to face demotion in Premier League history if they succumb to the drop.
Assessing what will be a “monstrous moment”, Neville said on the Gary Neville podcast: “It’s as interesting as the title race.
“The Spurs question – can they go down? Will they go down? Is this the biggest club that’s ever gone down in Premier League history?
“Aston Villa are a massive club, but Tottenham have been in Champions League finals in the last five, six, seven years, and won the Europa League last year, this would be a monstrous moment.
“Some say it would be good for the game because it would demonstrate competitiveness, that anybody can go down in the Premier League, just as when Leicester won it. It was the most phenomenal story that anybody can win the Premier League.
“I actually like what De Zerbi did today on paper, putting Kolo Muani, Solanke and Richarlison up front as a three-pronged attack. It didn’t have great balance, but I thought that they would potentially cause more problems.
“They’ve lost at Sunderland, and they’ve got big matches to come. The unthinkable could happen.
“I think they’ll just get out of it, but I’ve got no confidence to sit here and say Tottenham are safe right now.
“Everyone knows they’re in massive trouble, and it’s the unthinkable.”
Jamie O’Hara, meanwhile, has ranked Spurs’ chances of Premier League survival at just “10 per cent” and believes new manager Roberto De Zerbi is not able to work “miracles”.
“They have not won this year,” he said. “It will be April 18 next weekend, and Spurs haven’t won in the Premier League.
“Where are the points coming from? They need seven or eight points. Where are they coming from? I can’t see it.
“The players are not good enough and are not producing. Pumped by Nottingham Forest and beaten by Sunderland. West Ham have got fight. Forest picked up another point. Leeds have fight and have energy at home.
“I don’t see anything from Spurs to say they can get out of this. I cannot believe how bad this team have got.”
Tottenham latest: Talks on for Prem sensation; Barcelona star wanted
Meanwhile, should Spurs stay up, the club are reportedly interested in signing a Barcelona midfielder this summer – and it’s believed a low fee could see them consider the sale of the talented Spain international.
In other news, sources can name the two rivals that will contend with Spurs for the signing of Andy Robertson this summer. And despite De Zerbi greenlighting the move, Tottenham must battle Celtic and a surprise Championship side for the Scotland captain’s signature.
Elsewhere, Tottenham are reportedly ‘in talks’ to sign a Premier League sensation in what could prove a record deal this summer.
However, he will likely come in as a replacement for an emotional Spurs lynchpin, who looks likely to be one of the first major names to leave the club this summer.