To dare is to do. Walk along Tottenham High Road and those five words are impossible to ignore. But less than a year on from Europa League glory, on the pitch Tottenham have done far too little of that.
It begs the question, what exactly have Spurs been doing since Son Heung-min lifted that trophy in Bilbao last May? From a pure footballing perspective, the answer is, in short, not a whole lot. Off the pitch though, perhaps too much.
Ange Postecoglou was controversially dismissed only 16 days on from the Europa League triumph, with the club citing Tottenham’s woeful league campaign – in which they finished one place above the relegation zone – as the primary reason for his departure.
“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest change for the coming season and beyond,” a club statement read following the Australian’s dismissal.
Ten months on from this decision, Tottenham are out of the Champions League, failed to mount a run in either domestic cup, and sit in the relegation zone. The appointment of Thomas Frank, a tried and tested Premier League manager, was expected to bring some much needed stability to a ship that had been fighting to stay above water in the league last season.
The Dane departed the club in February with Spurs 16th in the Premier League table and five points above the relegation zone. His interim replacement, Igor Tudor – who has built a reputation for lifting clubs out of relegation trouble – lasted just 44 days at the helm, having failed to win a league game.
With the decision to appoint Frank and then Tudor, Tottenham attempted to play it safe. There was nothing daring about it. That cannot be said for the recent arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at Hotspur Way. If Igor Tudor was hired to be a firefighter, then De Zerbi arrives as the very antithesis of the word. And perhaps that is exactly what Tottenham need: a coach who can ignite a group of players that have largely failed to spark all season.
The Italian boasts two years of Premier League experience and, during his 20-month spell as Brighton head coach, transformed the team – guiding them to a club-record sixth place finish and their first ever European campaign.
Brighton, however, failed to win any of their first five games with De Zerbi in charge. And thus, with seven games remaining to avoid relegation, Spurs could hardly have taken a bigger gamble. Following the international break, the north London side’s run-in – and De Zerbi’s first test – begins this Sunday at the Stadium of Light against a Sunderland team daring to dream of European qualification.
The Black Cats boast an impressive record on Wearside, having lost only three times at home this campaign. Régis Le Bris’ side, who achieved promotion to the top-flight via the Championship playoffs last season, has unquestionably been the surprise package of the Premier League season.
While Sunderland’s fellow promoted sides are firmly anchored in the bottom quarter of the Premier League table, the Black Cats sit just three points shy of the European spots. For Spurs, Sunday’s showdown matters for all the wrong reasons; for Sunderland, it’s for all the right ones.
At the beginning of the season, it would have been reasonable to expect Spurs to occupy Sunderland’s position and Sunderland to be where Spurs now sit. The reality of relegation, however, is all too real for one club – and it’s not the newly promoted side many would have expected. It’s the established Premier League outfit, last relegated in 1977.
Spurs would do well to take note of Sunderland, whose decade-long journey back to the Premier League – after a freefall that saw them all the way to League One – offers a stark warning of the peril any newly relegated side can face, no matter its stature.
Tottenham and De Zerbi must get this one right, desperately needing to capitalise on the new-manager bounce that eluded them under Igor Tudor. But Sunderland at the Stadium of Light present a challenge that only Liverpool, Fulham and Brighton have managed to overcome this campaign.
Backed by a passionate Wearside crowd aspiring to trouble the continent next season, De Zerbi’s debut will be no easy task. With West Ham’s emphatic win over Wolves on Friday night, Tottenham head to the north east sitting in the relegation zone for the first time this season.
For Le Bris, three points would be another step toward a European dream; for Roberto De Zerbi, they would be a step away from a relegation nightmare.
