BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Tottenham Hotspur’s season has entered a deeply troubling phase, with a string of defeats and a mounting injury crisis pushing the club closer to a relegation battle few supporters would have imagined just months ago. Once considered a regular contender for European qualification and one of the Premier League’s most recognizable clubs, Tottenham now faces a desperate fight to stabilize its campaign before the situation deteriorates further.
The statistics surrounding the club’s current form paint a grim picture. Tottenham has now suffered six consecutive defeats across all competitions, a sequence of losses that has never occurred in the club’s nearly 144-year history. The alarming run highlights just how dramatically the team’s fortunes have collapsed.
Equally concerning is the club’s form in domestic league play. Tottenham has gone 11 consecutive Premier League matches without a victory, another unprecedented low point in the club’s long history in English football. The drought has steadily dragged the team down the standings and placed it dangerously close to the bottom of the table as the season approaches its final stretch.
The situation has been compounded by turmoil on the managerial front. Igor Tudor, who stepped into interim control of the team earlier in the season, has overseen four straight defeats in his opening four matches in charge. No Tottenham manager has ever begun a tenure with such a run of losses, a statistic that underscores the scale of the challenge currently facing the Croatian coach.
For supporters who remember last season’s triumph in the Europa League, the contrast is stark. Tottenham lifted that European trophy less than a year ago and appeared poised to build on that success. The club also remains one of the most prominent names in English football, having spent decades as a consistent member of the Premier League and one of the founding participants in the controversial European Super League proposal unveiled in 2021 before being quickly abandoned amid widespread opposition.
Despite that pedigree, Tottenham’s present circumstances suggest the club may be facing one of the most difficult periods in its modern history.
The latest blow came in the Champions League earlier this week, when Tottenham suffered a damaging 5–2 defeat away to Atletico Madrid. The result not only dented the club’s hopes in European competition but also intensified concerns about the team’s fragile defensive structure and dwindling confidence.
Now Tottenham must immediately turn its attention back to domestic competition with a daunting fixture looming on Sunday. The team travels to Anfield to face Liverpool in what promises to be one of the most difficult assignments in the Premier League calendar.
The challenge is made even more complicated by the state of Tottenham’s squad. Injuries, suspensions and fitness concerns have stripped Tudor of many of his key players, leaving the manager with limited options as he attempts to assemble a competitive lineup.
Several important attacking and midfield figures remain unavailable. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur and Destiny Udogie are all still sidelined with injuries, depriving Tottenham of creativity and stability in the middle of the field.
The team may also be forced to cope without captain Cristian Romero and midfielder Joao Palhinha, both of whom were shaken late in the defeat to Atletico Madrid following a clash of heads. Medical evaluations will determine whether either player can safely return to action this weekend.
Further weakening the defense, central defender Micky van de Ven will miss the match due to suspension, leaving Tottenham’s back line severely depleted at a time when defensive solidity is desperately needed.
The uncertainty has extended to the goalkeeping position as well. Guglielmo Vicario, the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, has endured a difficult run of form that led Tudor to drop him for the Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. Instead, the manager handed a rare start to 22-year-old Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who had not started a match since October.
The experiment quickly unraveled. Kinsky struggled badly during the opening minutes and was substituted after just 17 minutes following a series of costly mistakes. The early substitution highlighted the extent of Tottenham’s problems and left the coaching staff facing an awkward decision regarding who should start in goal moving forward.
Vicario is widely expected to reclaim the starting position against Liverpool, but his confidence may have been shaken by the recent events.
Despite the growing pressure and mounting criticism from fans and analysts, Tudor appears set to remain in charge for the immediate future. The club confirmed that the interim manager will hold a news conference ahead of the Liverpool match, signaling that he will continue to lead the team through this critical stretch of the season.
Tottenham’s schedule offers little relief. After the match against Liverpool, the club must quickly prepare for the second leg of its Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid next Wednesday, leaving little time for recovery or tactical adjustments.
Beyond that point, Tottenham may be forced to confront a sobering reality. With only nine matches remaining in the league season, the club sits just two places above the relegation zone and only a single point clear of danger.
The threat of relegation, once considered unthinkable for a club of Tottenham’s stature, has become a genuine concern. The situation could become even more precarious before Tottenham even steps onto the field at Anfield.
Both West Ham and Nottingham Forest sit just one point behind Tottenham in the standings. West Ham, currently third from bottom, hosts Manchester City on Saturday, while Nottingham Forest, in the next position above them, welcomes Fulham on Sunday. Positive results for either club could push Tottenham into the relegation zone before its own match kicks off.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, the title race continues to draw attention. Arsenal currently holds a seven-point lead at the top of the table and will look to maintain its advantage when it hosts Everton. Manchester City, chasing the leaders, plays later the same day at London’s Olympic Stadium.
Another important clash sees Manchester United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford, with both teams entering the match level on points while occupying third and fourth place in the standings.
Several individual players are also attracting attention as the league enters its 30th round. Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo has been in exceptional form since joining from Bournemouth in January, scoring seven goals in 13 appearances and quickly becoming an important part of Pep Guardiola’s attacking plans.
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has also enjoyed a prolific run, scoring eight goals in his last eight matches as the London club prepares to face Newcastle.
Liverpool, meanwhile, faces its own injury concerns ahead of the Tottenham fixture. Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker did not travel with the squad for the club’s recent Champions League match against Galatasaray due to an unspecified issue, raising questions about his availability.
Arsenal will once again be without captain Martin Odegaard, who continues to recover from a knee injury that has kept the influential midfielder out of recent matches.
As the Premier League season enters its decisive phase, most clubs are focused on chasing titles, securing European qualification or finishing strongly. For Tottenham, however, the immediate objective may be far more basic.
With confidence fading and the team hovering dangerously close to the bottom of the table, the once-ambitious club may soon find its entire campaign reduced to a desperate struggle simply to remain in the Premier League.
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