It can’t be. Surely not. My beloved Tottenham Hotspur stand 2 points above safety, 1 game left of the season and their survival is in their hands. Will Dr Tottenham rear its cursed head once again? For the love of all that’s holy I hope not, because I don’t think my mental health can take it.
It’s been a rollercoaster few seasons for Spurs. The highs under Ange Postecoglou seem almost a lifetime ago now, not to mention the Pochettino era that jettisoned Spurs into what would be bitterly referred to as the “Big 6”. At the beginning of Ange’s tenure, with three consecutive Managers of the Month under his belt, it seems almost crazy to think that by the end of that year, he was labelled as naive, stubborn, sullen and sulky. His tenure was littered with injuries, something which has blighted Spurs for nearly three years now. It’s hard to manage success when half of your first team is injured. In the first year, that cost Spurs Champions League, in the second year, it had them labouring to 17th, but miraculously winning a Europa League, something that should be failed as a wonderful achievement under the context of the rest of the season. However, the board chose to remove him from his position, and that left us heading into a new season as Europa League winners, but many underlying issues.
Why has it gone so wrong for Spurs this year?
The simplistic answer is just a lack of quality on the pitch. Not in terms of ability, the Spurs squad, whilst teetering on what I would call raw with the young talent, is on paper an excellent squad. Vicario is a great shot stopper, Van Der Ven & Romero are arguably one of the stronger CB partnerships in the Premier League, Porro is one of the league’s best creative RBs. Udogie (when fit) is often considered one of the better LBs in the league. Richarlison, Brazil’s number 9 came into the season in strong form. Summer additions of Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani & Mohammed Kudus, brought much needed depth and on paper, bags of quality.
The issue is that Spurs came into the season missing some incredibly important players. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung Min & Dominic Solanke. Between these players is 70 Goals & assists. Maddison & Kulusevski were due to miss vast swathes of the season. Son had been sold in the summer & Solanke had picked up an injury that ultimately had him missing football until the turn of 2026. This it seems, is what led to a dismal start to the season. Despite early promise under new manager Thomas Frank, the football was stodgy, uninspiring and pardon the pun Frankly negative. Coming into January 2026, there was a fog of discontent hovering over the club.
Injuries Galore
This season’s injury list has been insane. Maddison we knew would be out for most of the season. His first minutes this year came in the draw at home to Leeds in May 2026. Kulusevski, initially expected to return around December 2025, will now not return until next season, a whole season on the sidelines. Solanke, initially out with what was assumed to be a small ankle injury, only returned in January 2026, he then sustained a multiple niggling ankle and hamstring injuries. Bentancur, Bergval, Kudus, Udogie, Spence, Romero, Richarlison, Gray & Kolo Muani have all faced extended period on the sidelines with muscle injuries. Ben Davies suffered a fractured ankle in just his second appearance of the season, and Xavi Simons & Wilson Odebert suffered gut-wrenching cruciate ligament injuries. All in all, it has been a horrific year for the Spurs players fitness, and that has been reflected in results.
Disastrous 2026
January Transfer Window
The beginning of the crisis this year began with the sale of Brennan Johnson. Spurs’ top goalscorer from the previous season was sold, he’d had a poor season under Frank, and was largely being played as a sub with limited impact. Selling him was in some ways a smart decision. However, within days of his sale, Mohammed Kudus, Spurs’ best player for the year, picked up a major hamstring injury, which would have him out of action until April (he ultimately aggravated the injury in March and wouldn’t play another game this season). It was early in January, so it seemed sensible that Spurs would look to replace the sold Johnson & injured Kudus. Frank mentioned in several press confereces that Spurs would look to sign an elite winger. In the end, they failed in their attempt to sign Antoine Semenyo, who chose to join title-chasing Manchester City. Spurs left the January transfer window having signed Connor Gallagher, an objectively good player, but not neccessarily what Spurs needed in that moment.
Fixtures from Hell
After a series of woeful performances in which they drew to Sunderland, lost to Bournemouth who at that point were on a dreadful run of form, crashed out of the FA Cup to Aston Villa, they then lost to West Ham their now relegation rivals. It was at this point, that it became clear that Spurs were in real trouble. After drawing their next game away at Burnley, Spurs now faced a horrific run of fixtures. Between February and March, they now faced Man City (H), Man Utd (A), Newcastle (H), Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Palace (H) & Liverpool (A). It became likely that Spurs could go nearly a month and a half with next to no points. After a promising point picked up against Man City, Spurs lost to Man Utd, with Romero being sent off and missing the next 4 games. They then lost to Newcastle, which finally forced the board to sack Thomas Frank, replacing him with Igor Tudor, an untested manager in the Premier League. They then lost to Arsenal, Fulham, Palace and picked up a point against Liverpool in an miraculous away performance. At this point, Spurs were still yet to win in the league, and had now netted just 5 points out of a possible 36. This then left Spurs at risk of dropping into the relegation battle with Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
Managerial Merry-Go-Round
After Frank’s sacking in February, Spurs needed to make the right choice to steady the ship and get themselves into a position of safety. Instead, they brought in Igor Tudor. On paper there was some promising signs, he had steered multiple clubs out of trouble in Serie A, winning most of their games. In reality though, it was a huge risk. One that didn’t pay off. Before his removal from position, he managed Spurs to 1 point out of a possible 15, including the absolutely disastrous defeat to Nottingham Forest, which ultimately cost him his job. Spurs then turned to Roberto Di Zerbi, a much more respected manager with Premier League pedigree. Di Zerbi has now picked up 8 points from a possible 21. This included a draw against an in-form Brighton team which Spurs deserved to win, a demolition of Aston Villa away, their first win of 2026 at Wolves, a draw against Leeds in which they should have had a 95th minute penalty, and a loss against Chelsea which they should have picked up at least a point.
Relegation?
Where does this leave them? 2 points above the drop zone, with a home game against 12th placed Everton. Their position in the Premier League remains in their own hands. With just a point against Everton, they can secure their place regardless of West Ham’s result. If they lose to Everton however, they will need West Ham to draw or lose. All in all, a strong position, but when you factor in Spurs’ home record, it starts to look a little more concerning. Spurs have won just 2 games at home all season, they’ve drawn 6, and lost 10. The stats would say they’re more likely to lose than draw or win. Ultimately, it’s down to Spurs to defy their own season’s performances and pull out a performance when they need it most.
Hi, I’m Jacob. I write and edit for GameDayRoundup with a focus on football news, gaming culture and the growing world of esports. I enjoy breaking down big stories into something that feels approachable and fun to read. I’m always looking for new topics, new angles and new ways to keep our readers informed without overcomplicating anything. Writing for this site lets me share the things I follow every day and I love being part of the team.
