Tottenham Hotspur have less than three months to save their season and their position in the Premier League, something which has never truly been threatened since the competition's inception.
Even last year, when Spurs languished to a 17th-place finish under Ange Postecoglou, the gulf between them and the bottom three was too great to really worry the supporters, whose focus was pinned on the Europa League.
To have plummeted into a bona fide relegation dogfight after sacking Ange and replacing him with Thomas Frank, fired last month, beggars belief, and the 16th-place strugglers know they need to turn things around quickly.
Crystal Palace come to N17 on Thursday evening, and interim boss Igor Tudor simply has to snap the ten-game winless run in the Premier League. To achieve that, he might want to axe Xavi Simons.
Why Tudor should drop Xavi Simons
Tudor's first game in charge was a sobering defeat to top-of-the-table Arsenal, but the subsequent loss at Fulham was inexcusable, so limp and unorganised were the travelling Lilywhites.
Simons was right at the core of the sorry defeat. Hooked on the hour mark, unable to offer anything meaningful by way of attack and guilty of failing to close Alex Iwobi down for the Fulham midfielder's crisp strike, it wasn't a good day at the office for the Netherlands international.
Tottenham were jubilant when they signed Simons, 22, from RB Leipzig for a £52m fee last summer, securing one of Europe's most coveted young playmakers, wanted by Chelsea and a host more.
But he's largely disappointed in the Premier League, shot-shy and apt to crumble in tough situations, of which there have been many down N17 this year.
Simons' natural quality and sparkle on the ball have been sucked into a vacuum by Tottenham's steep decline. It wouldn't be fair to suggest he's a helpless victim, though, with too many performances passing the Dutchman by.
He's been ineffective in this sinking ship, but someone else showed on Sunday afternoon that they deserve some more minutes in his stead.
Tudor could drop Simons for Spurs' own Henry
Tactically and structurally, much has gone wrong at Tottenham this season. Time is also running out, and with Simons unable to provide Tudor's side with a solution, perhaps the boss should drop him for Mathys Tel, who impressed during his cameo at Craven Cottage.
Tel, 20, has endured a tough time at Tottenham, making his loan move permanent for around £30m last summer only for Frank to replace Ange and opt against giving him a big part to play.
Indeed, Tel has twice been exluded from the Londoners' European squad this season, and while he's imperfect, he's a natural-born goalscorer with dynamic and athletic movement which gives his side something different - and they certainly need something different over the next few months.
Praised for his "Thierry Henry-like" finishing in the area by one-time Spurs star Jermain Defoe, Tel's incisiveness could be exactly that Tudor and the club need over the next few months.
Whether the Croatian coach - who has left a lot to be desired so far - can harness that potential remains to be seen, but taking Simons out of the firing line and unleashing a more impactful attacker in Tel to flank Dominic Solanke might be the perfect way to counter the spreading rot that threatens to consume this huge football club.
This would create a new talking point regarding the decision to withdraw a playmaker from a side desperately struggling for creativity, but a stable and well-balanced system could provide a creative system that's greater than the sum of its parts.
In that, Tel's direct attacking style could be perfect for Tudor's side, though this all emphasises exactly how deep this crisis has become.