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With no Champions League football to worry about, Spurs have no distractions to avoid relegation from the Premier League now

Fresh off their first win under Igor Tudor—albeit one with no impact on their European fate—Tottenham Hotspur continue their search for a first Premier League victory of 2026 as they host relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Separated by just a single point and one place near the foot of the table, both Spurs and Forest are in danger of slipping into the relegation zone if results go against them this weekend.

Tottenham’s hopes were briefly revived when they hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16, buoyed by a hard-fought draw at Premier League champions Liverpool days earlier. Despite falling short of overturning a heavy first-leg deficit, a spirited 3-2 win over Atletico ended their winless streak and offered a glimmer of hope to their supporters.

Taking points off Liverpool and defeating Atletico in consecutive matches is an impressive feat for any side—especially one battling relegation. For now, Spurs fans have reason for cautious optimism.

However, Tottenham still sit 16th in the table, just one point clear of the drop zone, after a 12-match winless run in the league since the start of the year—their longest such streak since 1935. Worryingly, the last three teams to go winless in their first 12 Premier League games of a calendar year were all relegated, most recently Middlesbrough in 2016-17. Spurs have also struggled at home, collecting just 10 points from 15 matches—the worst home record in the league this season.

While Tottenham’s European journey ended midweek, Nottingham Forest enjoyed better fortunes, overturning a first-leg deficit to progress past FC Midtjylland in the Europa League. Goals from Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates secured a 2-1 win, and Forest capitalized on a disastrous penalty shootout from the Danish side.

Forest now look ahead to a quarter-final tie with Porto, but first must focus on Premier League survival. Their winless run in the league has stretched to seven games, and a goalless draw with Fulham last time out left them hovering above the relegation zone only on goal difference. It was also the 14th time this season Forest have failed to score in a league match—second only to Wolves.

However, Forest will take confidence from their recent record against Spurs, having won the last three Premier League meetings between the sides—including a 3-0 victory in December and a 2-1 win at Tottenham last season.

Tottenham vs Nott'm Forest Prediction

Forest and both teams to score - 5/1 ( William Hill )

Igor Jesus to score anytime - 12/5 ( William Hill )

Tottenham vs Nott'm Forest Team News

For the first time in a while, Tottenham’s injury list has dropped to single digits. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Conor Gallagher, Lucas Bergvall, and Destiny Udogie all made their returns from injury or suspension in the Champions League second leg against Atletico Madrid. Richarlison is also available again after serving a European ban, and both Dominic Solanke (hip) and Joao Palhinha (head), who missed out midweek, are expected to be fit for the weekend.

However, Spurs are still without Yves Bissouma (muscle), Ben Davies (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh), Wilson Odobert (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), and James Maddison (knee).

Xavi Simons, previously on the fringes under Tudor, made a strong case for a starting spot by scoring twice against Atletico, and he is likely to be included in Sunday’s lineup.

For Nottingham Forest, winger Dilane Bakwa was forced off on Thursday with an unspecified injury, but there are currently no major concerns about his availability. In contrast, Willy Boly (knee), Jair Cunha (ankle), Chris Wood (knee), Nicolo Savona (knee), and John Victor (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined until after the international break.

Manager Vitor Pereira’s midweek team selection suggested a focus on Premier League survival, so key players such as Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Igor Jesus are expected to return to the starting XI in North London. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s status remains uncertain after he was absent from the squad on Thursday.

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Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will undergo hernia surgery next week, and they face the prospect of bringing back in Antonin Kinsky after the international break

Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, is set for a stint on the sidelines as he prepares for hernia surgery. This development could see interim head coach Igor Tudor turn to Antonin Kinsky - who was replaced by the Spurs boss during their 5-2 Champions League last-16 first-leg loss to Atletico Madrid last week.

Vicario has been among the many Tottenham players grappling with poor form this season. The Italian has been part of a Spurs squad that is facing an unprecedented threat of relegation from the Premier League. Currently, Spurs are precariously placed 16th in the top-flight table - just one point above the relegation zone.

Vicario was benched for the European match in favour of Kinsky last week, but was brought back into play 17 minutes into the game following several blunders from the Czech keeper.

Vicario, however, is expected to still feature in Sunday's crucial match against fellow relegation contenders Nottingham Forest.

Footballers have been known to play despite having a hernia issue. Past instances include Fernando Torres, Harry Kewell, and Scott McTominay.

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Nevertheless, the surgery is likely to cause some disruption to Spurs' season as they strive to stave off relegation to the Championship.

A statement from Spurs confirmed: "We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia.

"The minor procedure for the Italy international goalkeeper has been timed to have as minimal impact on our season as possible.

"Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately, and it is hoped that he could return to action within the next month."

The announcement follows Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso's decision to omit Vicario from his squad for the March international break.

It remains uncertain which, if any, of Tottenham's remaining league matches Vicario will be absent for. Given Spurs' timeframe, Kinsky could feature for at least the two Premier League games after the international break away to Sunderland and at home to Brighton.

Tudor made no reference to Vicario's surgery during Friday's pre-match press briefing. The Croatian did, though, offer updates on the fitness of Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison.

He said: "So we have this big three weeks after the game on Sunday. I don't know. Probably some part of the things with the squad maybe 10 days [after the break]. I don't know I'm not sure. We need to check but he [Kudus] is progressing very well.

"Already a little bit with the ball. Rodrigo [Bentancur] as well, Maddison as well. We hope the medical staff will make us some nice surprise in the next weeks which would be very important to have that."

Tottenham boss Igor Tudor has been charged by the Football Association for his eye-catching comments in the aftermath of Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Fulham on March 1

Igor Tudor has been slapped with a misconduct charge by the Football Association for his furious rant after Tottenham's 2-1 loss at Fulham.

Tudor was incensed about the decision to award Harry Wilson's sixth-minute opener at Craven Cottage on March 1 after Raul Jimenez seemed to push Spurs centre-back Radu Dragusin in the lead-up to the goal from a Kenny Tete cross.

Jimenez was accused of "cheating" by an irate Tudor in his post-match press conference and the Croatian coach labelled match official Thomas Bramall as a "home team referee" to the BBC's Match of the Day. This has landed the Tottenham boss an FA charge.

"Tottenham Hotspur's Igor Tudor has been charged with misconduct following comments that he made after their game against Fulham on Sunday 1 March in the Premier League," an FA statement read, reports Football London. "The manager allegedly acted in an improper manner during a post-match interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question integrity and/or are personally offensive in relation to a match official."

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Spurs and Tudor have until Monday to respond to the charge. Tudor will get the opportunity to discuss the charge during Friday's press conference ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

The charge comes after Tudor won his first match as Spurs boss on Wednesday night. Tottenham beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 on the night but were knocked out of the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate.

Xavi Simons scored twice in a morale-boosting performance for relegation-threatened Spurs. "It's nice, the sensation and feeling are mixed, of course," Tudor said in his post-match press conference. "We are out, but as you said, it was a sensation of one very good team on the pitch, one very good performance of the players, the energy, as you said before, was very nice.

"From the first moment, the fans recognised that the team will try to do everything they can do, so from the first moment until the last moment, they were with us, it was beautiful. Thanks."

He added: "Of course the last two games we improved. But as I said the two games before, it's impossible to judge these two games, because what happened in the first 20 minutes against [Atletico] Madrid, there is nothing about the coach, team, tactics, training. There is nothing about it.

"I believe Crystal Palace, the game before, we had 1-0 and total control of the game. Red card so as well, nothing about it. But in football you need confirmation every day, every day, every day, every Sunday.

"There is on Sunday an important game as we know but it will not decide nothing yet. As I said before, it will be decided everything in the last two or three games I believe."

Tottenham finally got their first win under new boss Igor Tudor on Wednesday by beating Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, although they lost the last-16 tie on aggregate

Mathys Tel has revealed Tottenham’s players have held clear-the-air talks - and they are now convinced they will beat the drop. Tottenham face Nottingham Forest on Sunday in what has become a huge relegation clash with Spurs just one point above the drop zone.

But Tel says there is a new spirit of determination and fight among the players as they want to prove they are still a “big team” despite their disastrous season. Tottenham are finally showing signs of life after their draw at Liverpool and then the battling 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid.

Despite exiting the Champions League, Spurs did at least enjoy their first win in nine games, it also gave interim boss Igor Tudor his first win since taking charge and it has restored some belief for the rest of the campaign.

When asked what has changed and is the difference, Tel continued: “I think conversation in the dressing room. After every loss we just keep talking to each other and something changed. I would say we are together, we are more and more together.

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“We are talking because maybe before we didn’t speak enough. But now with the situation we talk more, more, more, more, more, and we are more about the details. So, you know, in football details make the difference and now I’m very happy about this difference.

“We’re together. We’re just a team now. A team. And I can feel it. We felt it also against Atletico. So, yeah, keep going. Of course we believe, we believe. We have to believe and we will do it. I believe we will do it. I trust my team-mates, I trust the manager, I trust everybody. If we stick together, if we show that we will do it together, we will do it.”

Tottenham’s Champions League form has been in direct contrast to their domestic results. They qualified automatically for the knockout phase in Europe and yet have not won in the Premier League since December 28.

Will Tottenham stay up? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

It has been hard to fathom and yet the last two games have given Tel hope that they can turn their season around. The Spurs forward says they had a point to prove against Atletico - and showed they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Tel added: “It means that we can be a big team. We can show to every team that it’s not easy to play against us. So, yeah, we showed a big, big, big mentality against Atletico Madrid.

“I would say we’re happy, but we’re still not happy because we didn’t win both games. But the second game was a big performance from us. We showed a great mentality. Something different than the first game.

“So that means a lot for us because it showed that we can play well, we can give everything for the club, for the team. So I would say I’m happy about the performance from the team.

"This is a Champions League game, so when we go to the Premier League game, we have to play with the same energy, the same mindset. Of course. Confidence just going up. Going up. We just need to stick together, stick to the plan and keep working. At the weekend, make sure we are ready for the game.”

Tel says Tudor has given him extra belief while he also paid tribute to the fans for creating the best atmosphere in months as he insisted they will need that again on Sunday.

He added: “I can feel the manager put confidence that was needed before. So we can see on the pitch I have got more confidence, I can create situations. So, yeah, I mean, he gave me some things that I didn’t have before.

“We can do everything on the pitch, but we need plus one. And the plus one is the fans. We need them all the time. So we can do everything, but we need people pushing you every time, every minute. So this is what they did. And we won. Liverpool the same. So I hope we will do the same thing on Sunday.”

Cuti Romero was asked to clarify his Tottenham future following the club's 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid

Cristian Romero has followed in the footsteps of Argentina team-mate Enzo Fernandez by casting doubt over his club future - despite outlining his "respect and affection" for Tottenham.

The Spurs skipper was asked if he could provide assurances he'd be staying put beyond the summer following the 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

Romero said: "The truth is that I'm focused on the situation we're in. I have a lot of respect and affection for the club and I want to finish the season in the best way possible. We'll see later but the most important thing now is to recover energy."

The 27-year-old signed a new four-year contract with the Europa League winners last August and was also appointed Tottenham captain following Son Heung-min's departure..

He is poised to feature for Argentina at the World Cup when Lionel Scaloni's side will bid to defend their crown in North America.

Atletico Madrid were interested in Romero last summer but were unable to finance a deal. Speaking during his press conference on Tuesday, Diego Simeone outlined his admiration for the central defender, stating: "I speak from a point of view as an Argentina fan.

"I admire his personality, his character, his defensive work and his football ability on the ball. As a fan of Argentina, I have seen him play more games for the national team than I have for Spurs, but I'm a big fan of him, for sure."

Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Fernandez hinted he could also assess his options at the end of the campaign following Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League defeat to PSG (8-2 aggregate).

The £107million starlet told ESPN Argentina: "I don't know, there are eight games left and the FA Cup. There's the World Cup and then we'll see."

Fernandez is believed to be attracting interest from PSG, Real Madrid and the Saudi Pro League. Chelsea have been keen to extend his contract but are yet to reach an agreement with the 25-year-old, whose current deal at Stamford Bridge runs until the summer of 2032.

In December, Fernandez parted company with his representative Uriel Perez to sign with The Elegant Game, an agency co-founded by former PSG attacker Javier Pastore.

Blues boss Liam Rosenior refused to be drawn on Fernandez's comments post-match and instead declared he was fully focused on restoring the form of his team.

Rosenior said: “Firstly, I haven't seen that so It's hard for me to speak on speculation after a game and I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday.”

Liverpool are set to face Galatasaray in the Champions League knockout rounds on Wednesday

Liverpool are preparing for a crucial clash with Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, leaving Arne Slot ’s team with a sizeable challenge to progress to the quarter-finals.

Liverpool will hope to use the Anfield crowd to their advantage but the team were booed during their last outing against Tottenham Hotspur. The Reds played out a disappointing 1-1 draw with Spurs, further harming their hopes of clinching a top four place.

Slot’s focus now returns to the Champions League as he looks to get Liverpool’s season back on track. The Dutch coach will hope his side can break the cycle against Galatasaray and stop repeating past mistakes.

Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has shared the squad’s concerns about potentially missing out on the Champions League next season. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at some of the headlines surrounding the Reds.

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Arne Slot 'damaging' claim

Slot was left cursing familiar problems as his team rued a missed opportunity against Spurs. While the Reds moved to within two points of Aston Villa in fourth, the Liverpool boss conceded that the team may fall short of their objectives if they are unable to fix some of their recurring issues.

"Of course it is damaging but how many times has this been damaging for us (this season)?" he said "We don’t help ourselves at all. It is so many times this season we have created much more xG or chances than the amount of goals we score.

"Usually in the Premier League you see a lot of teams outperforming their xG but that definitely is not what we are doing. Then the game stays tight until the end and we struggle to keep clean sheets.

"We haven’t had as many clean sheets as you would want if you want to go higher up in the table. That’s a bad combination for picking up the amount of points we want to pick up."

Crisis talks emerge

Liverpool star Szoboszlai has revealed that the squad has already held talks addressing the importance of finishing in the Champions League places. The midfielder also shared his concerns about the atmosphere at Anfield ahead of their vital game against Galatasaray.

"We had already a couple of weeks ago a talk between each other saying: ‘Guys we don’t have such a lot of time to do this right so we have to wake up and start to go in a way that we want to play Champions League next season’,” Szoboszlai explained.

"We have Galatasaray on Wednesday and that will be a tough game because we felt it there. I don’t think it helps us also that after 80 minutes people start to go home, it doesn’t help us at all. Stick with us.

"Everyone is noticing that and when we concede a goal still people are leaving the stadium – you don’t leave when we score. I understand the frustration but we need them, we need everybody, and that’s the most important."

Liverpool’s disappointing season took another turn on Sunday as they were pegged back late on by struggling Tottenham Hotspur and Roy Keane did not pull any punches

Roy Keane once again slammed Liverpool as ‘bad champions’ after accusing them of too much partying. The Reds’ title defence has fallen flat this season under Arne Slot.

The reigning champions now sit 21 points behind current leaders Arsenal, having been held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday at Anfield. Dominik Szoboszlai had given Liverpool the lead, only for Richarlison to equalise late in the game.

Having slammed Liverpool’s title defence in the past, Manchester United icon Keane has once again criticised their approach this season.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "Considering they were league champions last year, I’ve said it before and I’ve said it a number of times, Liverpool are bad champions. They are now 21 points behind Arsenal; what a drop-off that is! That is so bad."

He added: "I think there are issues going on in the background; I think there are bigger issues... I don’t know if they are all on the same page and there doesn't seem to be that chemistry with the players.

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"Last year I was critical of Liverpool, and I felt they were always partying too much. They were partying with four, five, or six weeks to go... You are Liverpool Football Club; are you not expected to win league titles? So when you do win it, enjoy it, but let's back it up next year."

And while Keane has torn into Liverpool, Reds midfielder Szoboszlai has done the same and claimed that a European spot might be as good as it gets for the side this season.

Speaking after the draw with Spurs, he said: "In the last minute, again, I don't know how many times this season already. We have to wake up. I feel flat. We have to wake up because if we carry on like this, we should be happy with the Conference League. I don't know why this is happening, I honestly don't know.

"I think in the first-half we played very well, we controlled the whole game and they hardly created chances apart from one or two headers. Second half we just didn't so the same things. We will sit down together, and this is the most difficult time, but we have to stick together."

Liverpool are back in action in midweek as they host Galatasaray in the second-leg of their Champions League last-16 clash. Slot’s side are 1-0 behind following last week’s defeat in Turkey.

Liverpool missed the chance to go fourth in the Premier League by drawing 1-1 at home to Tottenham, conceding a late equaliser which led to boos from the Anfield crowd

Arne Slot singled out Rio Ngumoha for praise after the Liverpool wonderkid impressed on his first Premier League start. But it wasn't to be a dream full debut for the 17-year-old forward, as the Reds slipped to a 1-1 draw with Tottenham.

Richarlison's equaliser in the 90th minute cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai's early free-kick to end Spurs' run of sixth defeats on the spin. Despite Liverpool failing to score from opening play, Ngumoha was a constant threat.

In his 64 minutes, the ex-Chelsea prospect completed all seven of is dribbles and had seven touches in Tottenham's penalty area. Ngumoha started ahead of Mo Salah, who was named on the bench, likely with Wednesday's must-win Champions League second leg at home to Galatasaray in mind.

"I have 12-13 players that are able to bring good performances," Slot told BBC Radio 5 Live post-match. "Rio is doing that well it makes sense to play him. It is a mix of playing the ones that are fit and using the quality that these players can bring."

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The Liverpool manager also responded to boos from the home fans at full-time. "I think it's understandable for fans to be frustrated because it happened already so many times that they've seen the home team not picking up the points that they're expecting to, us conceding goals in the last minute," Slot replied.

"Now it's up to us to bring that frustration to Wednesday and come up with a big performance. Because that we are all frustrated, that's completely clear.

"And it's now up to me and the players to take that frustration into Wednesday evening and show the fans the performance and the results they deserve, because they've been supportive throughout the whole season to us. Then if it happens so many times that they are frustrated in the end of a game or after the final whistle, that makes complete sense to me."

Should Rio Ngumoha keep his place? Have your say in the comments section.

On the game itself, the Dutchman said: "In the large parts of the game that we were the better team, I think that is a moment where you have to score the second. I think we had moments to do so quite a lot and in the part of the game where it was more equal – the last 15 to 20 minutes – on both sides, it was waiting for one of the two teams to score.

"They created the chances all in a similar way, the four or five moments they had: long ball, picking up the second ball and then try to be a threat in moments like that. We also picked up a lot of those second balls where we were able to counter attack them.

"But from all these counter-attacks - all these four versus three, three versus two - all these moments that I felt with the quality players we have that we should be able to either get a bigger chance or when we have it, to score it, we didn't and then in the last minute we conceded the equaliser and then there's not a lot of time left to make up for it."

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Liverpool host struggling Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday in what promises to be a crucial clash for both teams

Everything you need to know ahead of Liverpool vs Tottenham in the Premier League

Liverpool will host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield this Sunday in a high-stakes Premier League clash. The official kick-off time is scheduled for 4:30pm.

This match will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports. Coverage will be available on both the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels, with subscribers able to stream the action on Sky Go.

Live radio commentary will also be provided nationally by BBC Radio 5 Live. Local coverage will also be accessible via BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC London for regional updates.

Viewers in the United States can watch the game live and in full via the Peacock streaming service. This platform will host the exclusive live feed for American fans.

In Canada, the match is available to stream through fuboTV. International audiences in the Middle East can tune into beIN Sports.

Liverpool will be without record-signing Alexander Isak, who remains sidelined with a long-term leg injury he sustained in the reverse fixture. They are also missing Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo.

Interim boss Igor Tudor is dealing with a depleted squad at Tottenham. Micky van de Ven is suspended for the trip to Anfield after being sent off in their last defeat to Crystal Palace.

Several other Premier League fixtures take place earlier on Sunday, including a historic 100th home meeting between Manchester United and Aston Villa at 2pm. Crystal Palace vs Leeds United and Nottingham Forest vs Fulham are also scheduled for the earlier afternoon slot.

The reverse fixture between these sides in December 20 ended in a dramatic 2-1 victory for Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Goals from Isak, during which he suffered his injury, and Hugo Ekitike secured the points in a chaotic game that saw Spurs finish with only nine men.

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EXCLUSIVE: 'I know what it's like to get relegated with Tottenham - here's how they can avoid repeat'

EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham are at risk of suffering relegation from the top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years

Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation fight this season might be unexpected but it isn’t the first time a star-studded Spurs team has had a battle on its hands. Nearly half a century ago, a squad including the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Steve Perryman dropped from ninth in 1975/76 to 22nd and bottom the following year.

Peter Taylor was part of the group that finished dead last, having joined from Crystal Palace a few weeks into the season. He knows as well as anyone else that there’s no such thing as being too good to go down.

The former England caretaker manager watched two of his old employers face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Palace left Spurs reeling. And he is well aware of how much relegation can sting - especially when it’s so unexpected.

“The more I think about it, unfortunately we couldn't have been good enough because we got relegated,” Taylor told Mirror Football. “We probably weren't consistent enough, because we had some very good players but maybe we weren't consistent as much as we should have been and that's why we got punished and probably got what we deserved.”

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The current Spurs side has been forced to contend with injuries and suspensions, with centre-back Micky van de Ven the latest to pick up a ban after his red card in the last league game. However,Taylor wonders if the biggest loss is elsewhere on the pitch.

“One thing I would say is the difference between when I was there in my first year and now is that we had Glenn Hoddle, we had Alfie Conn,” he adds. “So I think we had more flair players than what they've got at the moment.

“Looking at them the other night, they needed a [James] Maddison badly. I can imagine a Glenn Hoddle being out there and even if Glenn didn't have to do any defending or anything like that, you know on one of his days or one of his nights he's going to open somebody up and score.

“I don't think they had too much of that [against Palace]. They worked hard but I didn't see enough of the old Tottenham.”

That league defeat was followed by another painful blow as Atletico Madrid put five past Spurs in the Champions League round of 16. The manner of the loss - a fourth on the spin under Igor Tudor - sparked questions over the future of the Croatian manager.

Taylor was relegated under Keith Burkinshaw, a manager who would stick around and lead the club to silverware once they were promoted back to the top flight. When it comes to Tudor, though, he believes the damage was done before the former Juventus boss took the reins.

“Me, personally, I wouldn't have changed Thomas Frank,” he says. “He knew the Premier League, he showed that when he was at Brentford.

“Unfortunately too many people were negative towards him. They weren't supporting him, they wanted him out, but I personally wouldn't have changed that.

“All managers will have different styles, they'll have different opinions on the game. That's why in pre-season, you have five weeks together to get ready for that first match.

“At the moment, with too many changes up top, it means they're starting all over again every other week. It can't be right. So, to me, you're giving a player an excuse and I think that's a dangerous situation.”

Spurs’ most recent win came against Eintracht Frankfurt in January when Frank was still in charge. They have had little trouble scoring goals but have struggled defensively, with their last league clean sheet coming on New Year’s Day.

Captain and centre-back Cristian Romero has served a four game ban following a red card against Manchester United, though he is expected to miss Sunday's game against Liverpool after clashing heads with team-mate Joao Palhinha in midweek. The Old Trafford dismissal was his second of the season and Taylor has called on the Argentina international to step up and bring the togetherness the team needs with time running out to escape the drop.

At this stage of the season Taylor is less worried about quality on the pitch and more concerned with togetherness. Spurs don’t need to win games with perfect performances - they just need to win at all costs.

“I would accept the last nine matches being absolutely rubbish football but three or four wins out of it,” he adds. “That's what they need and I think a good changing room helps that.

“We had a decent changing room at Tottenham when I was there. We had the best captain I've ever played under in Steve Perryman, who would do everything for the manager and everything for the team.

“That's what they need [now] but that's what I didn't see [against Crystal Palace]. I'd like to see a changing room win rather than a quality win.

“[Romero returning will help] if he does it right but I've got my doubts. I went to the Liverpool game where he got sent off as well so he's got to prove he deserves to be captain.”