Jamie Redknapp is worried about his former club as they head to Sunderland in the relegation zone on Sunday.
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Jamie Redknapp has questioned whether or not Tottenham Hotspur have the ‘matchwinners’ to get themselves out of relegation trouble as they prepare to face Sunderland this weekend.
Spurs travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday on a run of 13 Premier League games without a win, taking just five points during that time. That, coupled with West Ham’s resurgence - most recently thrashing Wolves 4-0 on Friday - has finally plunged them into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Failure to beat Sunderland this weekend would keep the Lilywhites rooted inside the bottom three and bring them one step closer to what is surely one of the most shocking relegations in English football history.
Tottenham lacking a talisman ahead of Sunderland trip
West Ham’s win over Wolves was underlined by a superb performance by Jarrod Bowen and Taty Castellanos, who registered two assists and two goals in the match, respectively. Crysencio Summerville has also registered seven goals across all competitions since the turn of the year, including five in his last nine Premier League outings.
It’s those sorts of decisive forwards that Redknapp believes could drag the Hammers out of trouble this season, especially as Spurs struggle to find talismen of their own due to chronic injury issues and loss of form.
"You need matchwinners in your team, who's going to win a game by the scruff of the neck?" said Redknapp on Sky Sports following West Ham’s Friday night win.
"When I look at the Tottenham team, where's your matchwinner? Who's going to win you the game?
"When I look at Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, they have moments - that's the important thing. And that's now put an almighty pressure on Tottenham Hotspur, who have to go and beat Sunderland in their next game. That's not an easy fixture.
"Anything can happen. There will still be twists and turns. West Ham have only got to lose their next game at Crystal Palace next week and they're right back in it.
"It's very difficult to predict. But you need calm heads and what West Ham did today: look a threat from set pieces, a real threat from your best players - then you give yourself a real chance."
Redknapp also highlighted the centre-back pairing of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Axel Disasi as an area of strength for Nuno Espirito Santo. The former has scored three goals in his last three Premier League games, including a brace against Wolves, while the latter arrived in January and has been a rock for the East Londoners so far. The two have combined to form a simple yet effective partnership, built on solidity and simplicity, rather than overcomplicating things.
That is in contrast to Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, who are highly regarded, but have been guilty of big errors and costly red cards this season. Redknapp believes thered may be an ego issue in that department for new manager Roberto De Zerbi to deal with - and it’s something Sunderland could exploit this Sunday through the relentless and powerful Brian Brobbey.
"Mavropanos and Disasi look a real partnership. They are the sort you want in a relegation fight," he added.
"And even though they are better players: I'm not sure those two centre-backs at Tottenham are. They think they're too good for a relegation fight. Romero's saying: I've won the World Cup and now we're in the bottom three.
"What they're going to be doing under De Zerbi is he'll be asking to play out from the back, take risks in your six-yard box. What West Ham know is their limitations, they don't take too many risks. Nottingham Forest and Leeds are like that as well.
"This is not the time to be thinking you're a better player than what you are. This is the time to play to your maximum, show your desire, head it and tackle.
"You need moments from top players, but this is a time for cool heads. That's what West Ham have shown here."
While Spurs are in trouble, a Sunderland win could see them move as high as seventh in the table if results go their way, with Regis Le Bris’ side still very much in the European hunt after their famous 2-1 comeback win over arch-rivals Newcastle United last time out.
Sunderland’s previous meeting with Spurs ended in a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in January, with Brian Brobbey’s late equaliser overturning a Ben Davies opener.
