Another week in the Premier League, another Tottenham defeat.
At what point do you start looking at the bottom trapdoor instead of the lofty skyscrapers that take you to European nights? Because that’s the question for Spurs at the moment. They are entering February having won no league games in January. Their last league win came against Southampton in the middle of December, the Saints en route to having one of the worst-ever top-flight campaigns in Premier League history—Derby Country fans have their fingers crossed.
16 points off Europe, eight points off the Championship. Even Leicester City touted for the drop and winless since beating West Ham in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge at the start of December, managed to swat the Lilywhites away. At what point does it become too much?
Media outlets are feasting, it’s safe to say. We have reports linking many out-of-work managers with the Hotspur Way gig, Erik ten Hag having re-emerged as a candidate. Yet, Tottenham have reaffirmed their faith in Ange Postecoglou. Admirable.
We have presented our case with regards to why Postecoglou has to go, what are the issues that an be attributed to him and which matters are out of his control. Daniel Levy’s choices are out of his control, case in point, and here we try to look at his travails in the past seasons and see how much blame lies on his door.
When it comes to running the organisation that is Tottenham Hotspur, we cannot deny Levy his flowers. The work has been laudable in making sure the club never end up in a financial crisis.
But they are in a crisis right now, and the final call lies with him. He tried going against the Spurs grain and ending the silverware drought with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, all the while promising to continue playing attractive football as Fabio Paratici was trying to take the club to a more pragmatic direction. We have seen what became of this dual, diametrically opposite approach.
Sticking with Postecoglou, therefore, is not just a matter of faith, it’s compensation which has long reached the over-compensation territory. How does one admit they have made a mistake once again after making many more before it?
This is what Levy has to reckon with. He backed a horse in the right direction, but he backed the wrong horse. Now, he’s having to come to terms with the fact that he needs to rectify the mistake that itself was supposed to be the rectification of many others.
Acknowledgement is key. You cannot start solving a problem before admitting it exists in the first place. The way things are going right now, Tottenham are unequivocally on the verge of finding themselves in the relegation quagmire by April, even if they manage to lift the Carabao Cup in February, it’s safe to say the fans won’t want to entertain the idea of life in the Championship.
The sheer talent on their books despite the injuries and their historical record are what’s keeping Tottenham out of the relegation conversation for now. Even Crystal Palace and West Ham, teams now above them in the table, had been considered in trouble of the drop. Palace have picked up form, while the Hammers have made the managerial change to test their fortunes. Spurs, in comparison, have done neither.
Something has to change. It’s not going to happen on Postecoglou’s end; he keeps telling us that himself. So at what point does Levy bite? How far is he willing to maintain the charade of faith before he has to look in the mirror and make peace with his folly.
More Tottenham News:
- “His body language after…” – Tottenham star backed to sign for Barcelona or Madrid
- “I’m still desperate for…” – Club insider backs Tottenham youngster to make winter exit
- Tottenham enquire about Eredivisie defender; Chelsea also keen
To conclude, we do not expect Spurs to go down. We believe a change will be brought about for the final games to bring in some breath of fresh air and ensure the club starts afresh in the top flight itself. That is not to say, however, that their current predicament has reached absurd proportions.
