Football London

Tottenham are in all kinds of trouble in the Premier League and one of their former players and coaches has been speaking about their plight

Gus Poyet believes Tottenham's players are only good enough to be a mid-table side but that means they should not be in trouble in the lower reaches of the Premier League.

Poyet turned out for three years in a Spurs shirt and later returned as assistant to Juande Ramos, the last head coach to win a trophy at Spurs before Ange Postecoglou led them to the Europa League last year. Now Tottenham are in big trouble in the Premier League with just a point separating them from the relegation spots with seven games to go.

When asked whether the current group of Spurs players are good enough, Poyet did not hold back.

"I don't think they are that good to be in the top four or top six, I don't think they are that bad to be in the bottom four. Tottenham's normal position, in a normal season where everyone is playing at a normal level, sixth to 10th - not 17th or 18th, no, nor in the top four," he told football.london.

"They came from a difficult season last year, the European competition covered it up a little bit but the Premier League season, everyone thought it was a one-off. But it's not a one-off, it's two consecutive ones. So it's dangerous."

The position of interim boss Igor Tudor is uncertain right now with the Croatian yet to win a game. The 47-year-old has been dealing with the death of his father Mario this week and the funeral in Split, leaving a delicate managerial situation at the club.

Poyet admits the question over who should be the manager of Tottenham right now is a difficult one with the decisions that have been made and backfired this season.

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"I think there are many [candidates]. The most important thing the [hierarchy] need to think of is what do they want? You cannot make the decision for them and the fans cannot make the decision for them. They know the squad they have and the kind of football they can play," said the Uruguayan.

"Example, at the beginning of this season, what's important for the club? A coach who knows the league, Thomas Frank, perfect. If that's your reason, then spot on. Middle of the season, what do you need? Someone who doesn't know the league - the completely opposite reason. The coaches as well, I always say about coaches, 'we make a change because we have a reason to make a change'. If that reason works, then we are a genius and if it doesn't work, then we are awful.

"The reason, if they decide to change and I don't know if they will, then why? And then if so, what are you looking for? I think bringing Igor in and knowing about his past, it was more down to his personality and character. So they put the character and personality ahead of knowing the league. Knowing the league in terms of working in it before because come on, let's be honest, everyone knows the Premier League, but knowing the feeling of being there. "

He added: "What now? A Spurs legend? An easy character? Easy-going? A friendly coach? An older one? Old-fashioned? That one, they need to decide; what sort of person do they want in there, a coach, personality, knowledge - they need to make the decision. I won't make it for them!"

Tottenham have been without key playmaker James Maddison all season

Tottenham Hotspur star James Maddison is a step closer to recovering from his serious knee injury as he shared an update following his return to the pitch.

The England international shared a series of snaps during the rehabilitation process after needing surgery on a cruciate knee injury. The 29-year-old has since moved into the next stage of the recovery and is back on the football pitch, aiming shots on goal.

Maddison has been one of the many casualties this season with his services sorely missed as Spurs face a battle to avoid Premier League relegation. The midfielder's return will provide a timely boost for the North London club in their efforts to turn around their fortunes.

In a post to social media, the playmaker wrote: "Session 6 months post ACL surgery. Working hard to be back. Video of what it looks like out on Sunday at 6pm on my @youtube channel (link in bio)."

Prior to his potentially season-ending injury, Maddison began documenting behind the scenes at Tottenham in a rare look behind the curtain for supporters.

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Previewing the latest release on his channel, the 29-year-old shows footage from time in the treatment room to running on the grass before ending with shooting practice.

Spurs caretaker manager Igor Tudor revealed a positive injury update regarding Maddison.

The Croatian raised the possibility of the midfielder returning before the end of the season.

He said: "Yeah. Maddison is already doing interesting things as well, with the ball, sprinting as well. I saw him. He's positive."

With the international break underway, Tottenham will not resume their fight to avoid relegation until April 12, when they face Sunderland.

Maddison suffered the injury during their pre-season tour in Korea and hasn't played competitively since May. At the time, Thomas Frank said: “I think it’s disappointing but also devastating for me and mainly for Madders that he’s out of the team.

“We will miss him and no doubt he will miss playing football.”

The long-serving former Tottenham Hotspur chairman is no longer a decision maker at the club and one of his ex-coaches has been speaking about him

Gus Poyet believes it's impossible to know whether Daniel Levy would have prevented the current mess at Tottenham because the long-serving ex-chairman was so unpredictable.

Levy was pushed out of Spurs last year after almost a quarter of a century at the helm after an in-depth club review instigated by the owners, the Lewis family. However, matters have not improved in the months since at the north London club with Tottenham now at risk of relegation with seven games of the Premier League remaining.

Poyet played for the club for three years and then was assistant manager to Juande Ramos, the last person to win a trophy at Spurs before Ange Postecoglou lifted the Europa League last year. Both managers were sacked by Levy afterwards due to performances in the Premier League. So would Levy have acted more swiftly to try to arrest the club's decline this season under Thomas Frank and now Igor Tudor?

"Difficult to know because Daniel was always, always - and I mean always - unpredictable," the Uruguayan told football.london. "When I was an assistant coach in the summer after winning the League Cup with Juande Ramos, we had a big issue with [Dimitar] Berbatov until the last minute of the transfer window.

"He [Levy] didn't want to sell him until the last minute of the transfer window. If Berba was going to go, then go, but we wanted to settle down and then play. But then Berba left, but he didn't play with us in August, we couldn't win a game and then we were sacked. How much of that was the reason? I don't know, I'm not going to blame anyone but it didn't help."

Poyet believes Levy's departure ended up being perfectly timed for the 64-year-old.

"He's very intelligent about leaving at the right time. Maybe he saw it coming. You know when people talk about when Alex Ferguson stepped down and what happened after? These kinds of people at the highest level, I think they know when is the right time to go," said the former Spurs and Chelsea midfielder.

"They don't stay there when everything is falling apart, you know? They leave just in time and that's a quality because he left in the worst Tottenham year in the Premier League for a long time, 17th, but won a trophy. He left as a winner."

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Poyet said that Levy's managerial sackings were brutal, not least the one that saw him heading out a hotel and into a waiting taxi.

"Listen, he sacked Mourinho one week before the final when the idea of signing Mourinho was about winning a trophy. So, what can I say about Daniel? He was a chairman that was very unpredictable," he said. "We got sacked the night before our game when we were in the hotel.

"Tottenham were playing Sunday in a home game, we went to the hotel to sleep overnight with the whole squad. Myself, Juande Ramos and Marcos Alvarez, we got sacked at 10pm, the night before the game. [What's] more unpredictable than that? There were not even rumours.

"I was waiting for much of the day in my room and I got a phone call telling me to come down. I went down and we got sacked. We walked out of the hotel with the luggage and got a taxi home. That's what I mean. I don't know. When you change a coach, I think that was the idea of the owners, it's to see a reaction and that didn't happen. The main reason for changing a coach, it didn't work for Spurs for whatever reason, so it's a problem."

Poyet believes that the issues at Spurs have stretched beyond this current season and he is worried about his old side as they sit one point above London rivals West Ham, who lie in the drop zone in the Premier League.

"I disagree with people that say 'this season'. This is not an accident, Tottenham finished 17th last season, and today, they are 17th. I think the characteristics of the players Tottenham have signed, they are more suitable for European competition, which is a completely different game, and not for the English Premier League," he explained.

"The Premier League, a little bit last season, 100% this season, has become more physical, man-to-man, set-pieces, and the strongest wins. Spurs, with all the injuries they have, and those players performing at a certain level in Europe but not being able to replicate that in the Premier League, when you start losing, it is difficult to recover.

"You need more than a change in coach; you need a bit of luck, you need players to come back, you need responsibility. They are in danger, I promise you. I was worried when I was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium watching the Arsenal game live, I left that stadium thinking, 'aye, aye, aye'. That was three or four weeks ago. After watching Forest, [I'm] more [worried]. Careful."

The Uruguayan is worried for Spurs with their next trip on April 12 to one of the clubs he used to manage, Sunderland.

"Now they go to Sunderland. All the best going to the Stadium of Light at this moment of time after they won the derby," he said. "It's not just about playing football; it's about running, it's about fighting, it's about competing, it's about dealing with the pressure when a team is coming and coming and the supporters are supporting.

"You need to be spot on in that game. It's going to be tough. The most important thing, the only thing I can think, it didn't happen with me when I was at Sunderland, it's in your hands. It depends on you. If you win the same amount of games as West Ham, then you stay up. Then, we'll see what happens in the next couple of games."

The Tottenham Hotspur starlet is hoping to be back in action soon in order to help prevent the club from sliding into the Championship

Mathys Tel is hoping to be back and available for Tottenham after the international break in order to help drag the club away from relegation danger, football.london understands.

The 20-year-old has been one of the rare positives at Spurs of recent weeks with an assist in the Champions League win against Atletico Madrid and a string of proactive displays in the Premier League despite Tottenham's confidence struggles which leave them 17th in the table and just a point above the drop zone.

Tel had to leave the action in the 67th minute on Sunday in the defeat to Nottingham Forest after picking up an injury around his thigh and hip area.

Spurs assistant coach Bruno Saltor said after the game of the young forward: "Now, it's still assessing and seeing if he can go with the national team."

Tel did eventually have to be withdrawn from the France U21 squad but football.london understands that the injury is not a serious one and requires rest, which means that as long as there are no setbacks, the Frenchman could be involved after Tottenham's three week break in fixtures.

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The former Bayern Munich attacker is desperate to get back in action and wants to help in the fight to stay up. Those close to Tel claim he genuinely cares about the north London club, the fans and the people working within the organisation and is fully aware of the consequences relegation could have on people's livelihoods.

Borussia Dortmund are interested in taking the France U21 international back to Germany this summer, although if his time at Spurs were to come to an end Tel is understood to favour a move back to Bayern should the Bundesliga beckon.

Tel is not thought to be looking to leave this summer though, has a long contract at Tottenham until 2031 and is firmly focused on getting back fit and keeping the Lilywhites in the top flight.

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper was caught on camera with Italian players and staff appearing to celebrate as they found out their World Cup qualifying play-off opponents

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario inadvertently got himself caught in a moment that has "made waves" in Italy.

The Spurs stopper is currently out injured after undergoing hernia surgery on Monday which will keep him out for the next three to four weeks. The Italy international went to visit his compatriots and watch them overcome Northern Ireland 2-0 in their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final in Bergamo on Thursday night.

After the game, cameras from the Italian television channel Rai caught footage of Vicario and Italy players and staff appearing to be watching the penalty shoot-out between Wales and Bosnia & Herzegovina on the Spurs man's phone inside a box in the stadium. When what was presumably Kerim Alajbegovic scoring the winning penalty happened, Vicario and the staff cheered with the goalkeeper pumping his fist as did Italy left-back Federico Dimarco.

Bosnia will now host Italy on Tuesday night for a spot at this summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico and the clip caused a storm both in Italy and with Bosnian football fans as it seemed Italy were happier with their opponents for the play-off final than a trip to Wales.

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Italian journalist Guillaume Pacini posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) of the clip: "The video making waves in Italy this Friday. With two camps: those who think Rai shouldn't have aired its footage, and those who are going after the players who celebrated the Bosnian team's final penalty kick. The boomerang effect of this video is immeasurable."

One Bosnian social media account, Bosnian Football, posted the footage to thousands of likes and said: "Look at this disrespect and arrogance by Italy. They were already celebrating after we won penalties. We will take this to account in Zenica!"

Whether the Italy players were even watching what everyone thought they were is unclear but it has certainly got people in the affected countries fired up ahead of Tuesday night's big decider.

Tottenham are reportedly considering Sean Dyche as a potential replacement for Igor Tudor as Spurs battle relegation from the Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur are reported to be formulating contingency plans to appoint Sean Dyche as their manager for the remainder of the season. The development emerges amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Igor Tudor's future at the club, following his appointment on an interim basis through to the end of the current campaign.

Spurs presently sit in 17th position in the Premier League standings and are merely one point clear of the relegation zone with just nine fixtures remaining.

Consequently, speculation has mounted that Tottenham might contemplate another managerial change before the season concludes.

Dyche has previously been linked with the managerial vacancy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a new update indicates that interest in the former Everton and Burnley manager could persist, reports the Mirror.

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham have identified Dyche as a potential option to assume control of the club on a temporary basis through to the end of the season.

The report suggests that Spurs could look to appoint Dyche should their primary target for the position, Roberto De Zerbi, decline to accept the role until the summer.

Dyche was most recently in charge of Nottingham Forest before his exit in February, and has considerable experience of steering multiple clubs clear of Premier League relegation, including Everton and Burnley.

De Zerbi's most recent role was at the helm of Marseille, and he has been linked with a Premier League return since his exit from the Ligue 1 outfit last month.

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In addition to being linked with the Tottenham managerial position, De Zerbi has also been named as a potential long-term successor at Manchester United this summer.

Reports suggest that Tottenham are identifying possible managerial candidates should Tudor depart the club before Spurs' next match.

The report further claims that Tottenham will finalise their decision regarding Tudor's future on Monday, although it remains unclear whether this will result in his departure.

Tudor's father passed away last weekend with the Tottenham boss informed shortly after the 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

Tottenham are not due to return to action until April 12, when they journey to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland in an attempt to distance themselves from the relegation zone.

Spurs have seven Premier League fixtures remaining this season and could find themselves in the drop zone by the time they face Sunderland, should West Ham triumph over Wolves on April 10.

The Tottenham Hotspur defender has been treading a fine line in recent weeks but has escaped a new Premier League suspension

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero will avoid a new Premier League suspension after one of the few positives to come out of the defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Spurs fell to a 3-0 defeat to Forest in a crunch match in the Premier League relegation battle and one of the only positives to come out of the dismal second half was that Romero managed to get through the game without picking up a yellow card. That was important for the Argentine and Tottenham because the centre-back was on eight yellow cards for the season in the Premier League.

The rules state that players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including their side's 32nd fixture will serve a two-match suspension in the competition. The defeat to Forest was Spurs' 31st game which means that Romero can no longer reach 10 yellow cards in the 32nd match which comes on April 12 with the trip to Sunderland. Two yellow cards within a game do not count.

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That swerved suspension would have been Romero's fifth of the season had it come to pass. The Tottenham skipper missed the home defeat to Fulham after reaching five yellow cards. He then missed Spurs' last Premier League win on December 28 at Crystal Palace after picking up a one-game ban for a second yellow and subsequent red card against Liverpool.

The World Cup winner then received an extra game suspension for not leaving the field of play quickly enough which meant he missed the FA Cup defeat at home to Aston Villa.

Then came a second red card of the season just half an hour into the defeat at Manchester United for a mistimed lunge on Casemiro, which meant he was suspended for the following four matches, all of which Spurs lost.

Now at least Romero, who is currently on international duty with Argentina, should be available for Tottenham's crucial final seven games barring injury or further red cards.

The talented Tottenham teenager reached another milestone in his remarkable start to football life on Thursday night on the international stage

A 'great career' lies ahead for Tottenham starlet Luka Vuskovic after he scored his first senior international goal for Croatia on Thursday night to help them beat Columbia in a friendly in the USA.

The 19-year-old is quickly becoming a rising star in the game despite the fact that he is yet to make a competitive appearance for Premier League side Spurs. Instead the big centre-back has been starring in the Bundesliga for Hamburg and that has brought transfer links with the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and plenty of the Premier League big boys in recent months.

Now Vuskovic, who has a contract at Tottenham until 2030, has taken his season to the next level after he scored his first international goal for Croatia on his third appearance for his country.

The young defender has an eye for goal and scored seven times on loan at Belgian side Westerlo last season, then netted in pre-season for Spurs and has hit the back of the net five times already for Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

On Thursday night, just five minutes into the friendly against Colombia at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Vuskovic levelled the scores after Jhon Arias' early goal with a deflected finish of his own from outside the box that flew into the net. Igor Matanovic scored a second goal for the away side before the break to ensure the young defender had played his part in the victory.

After the game Vuskovic posted on Instagram: "I am very proud to have scored my first goal for the national team and contributed to an important victory."

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It wasn't just his goal that stood out on the night as Vuskovic had 63 touches of the ball, a 96% pass success rate and 13 defensive contributions, including nine clearances, two blocks and two interceptions. He made three ball recoveries and was not dribbled past even once.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic said of the centre-back's performance: "He played well and with quality, which is why we played that system with three at the back.

"He maybe needs to be a bit more decisive and responsible, but he’s growing. He will certainly have a great career.

"In the last 15 minutes, we switched to four at the back, which he can play. He played well, like everyone else, I wouldn’t single anyone out. Many good things."

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper underwent hernia surgery this week and one of his coaches has indicated just how bad the problem was

One of Guglielmo Vicario's goalkeeping coaches revealed the Italian has been struggling with his hernia problems for months to make sure he was available for struggling Tottenham this season.

The Italian had been playing through the pain for Spurs until it was decided that he had suffered enough and would undergo surgery on Monday. First though Vicario made himself available for Sunday's defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League to try to help out his team-mates one last time before going under the knife.

The 29-year-old timed the operation to coincide with a long gap in Tottenham's fixtures as after the two week international break comes the FA Cup weekend with the north London side out of the competition. That means Spurs will not play again until April 12 when they make the trip to Sunderland in the Premier League looking to save their top flight status.

Vicario is expected to be back in action within a month so may miss just the one match if he misses any at all. In the meantime the Italy international has been nominated for the Premier League Save of the Month award for his flying tip on the post at Anfield to deny Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.

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The stunning save prevented the hosts from taking a two-goal lead before the break as he reacted to the Dutchman's quickly taken shot from inside the penalty area. and Spurs eventually found a late goal from Richarlison to grab a point.

Reacting to the award nomination on Instagram, Tottenham goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte, who won the Premier League with Liverpool last season, posted a message to Vicario which read: "So much respect for what you went through for months to be there for the team every game."

That gave more of a sense of the severity of the pain the Italian had been suffering and for how long it was restricting him.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vicario took a private flight over to his homeland on Wednesday evening and will now stay with the Italy squad for the remainder of the international break. They face a play-off final away against Bosnia and Herzegovina after getting past Northern Ireland side featuring Spurs' Jamie Donley on Thursday night.

Vicario will then return to London to continue his recovery process ahead of Tottenham's final seven Premier League matches of a difficult season.

The Tottenham Hotspur attacker has been speaking to Swedish media and has made it clear when he expects to be back from his knee injury

Dejan Kulusevski expects to be back playing in time for this summer's World Cup and claims he's never felt better in his life than he does right now as he closes in on a return from his knee injury.

The Swede injured the patella in his knee back in May last year and after a couple of setbacks following his initial surgery, is yet to return to action for Spurs. Earlier this week he was spotted limping while in Spain meeting his international team-mates ahead of their World Cup play-off semi-final win against Ukraine.

The 25-year-old Tottenham midfielder revealed afterwards that he had undergone a small operation to clean out the knee and that was why he was limping but that the knee was "feeling great now" in a message on Instagram.

Then ahead of Sweden's game, Kulusevski delivered more positive news as he targets a return to action almost a year after his initial injury against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last season.

"I understand that people were worried, but it was really for the wrong reason. It was really positive that I did this little procedure and that we were able to find the problem. Now everything should be solved," he told Swedish media outlet Viaplay. "Now it's just a matter of slowly and surely coming back.

"I can see the light. It feels better now. I really have a positive feeling about these two important matches [for Sweden] and a World Cup in two or three months. This is how the book and the chapter will end. I am convinced of that."

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When asked if he sees himself playing at the World Cup for Sweden this summer, Kulusevski is confident of returning in time for the showpiece tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico and presumably beforehand to help Tottenham in their Premier League relegation battle.

"One hundred percent. Yes. That (the World Cup) is the driving force I have. To have that opportunity is absolutely fantastic. It's a challenge that I haven't been able to overcome so far in terms of getting healthy, but it's not over yet. Now the second game starts," he said.

The Spurs man admitted that his original goal has been to return for Thursday night's international play-off match but it was not to be.

"I did everything I could to be ready to play today. It didn't work. Maybe for things you won't even find out about, but at the end of the day, God decides. I'm very confident with where I am today," he said.

"I don't want people to be worried about me. I've never felt better in my life. I feel a lot stronger now. I hear people wondering if I'll be the same player when I come back. No, I'll be a lot stronger, a lot better, a lot smarter and better for my teammates."

Kulusevski is certain that the World Cup awaits for him this summer.

"That's how it has to end. Otherwise, it hasn't gone as I planned. I'm absolutely convinced that we'll win these two games and I'll be ready to play and play my first World Cup in the USA," he said. "That's how the movie will end, God willing."