Tottenham won their first game of 2026 on the weekend, yet their hopes of escaping Premier League relegation took a downturn. Spurs laboured to a 1-0 win over bottom side Wolves on Saturday, only for a late West Ham winner and two injuries to conspire against them.
Manager Roberto De Zerbi Faces Uphill Battle
Roberto De Zerbi now has just four games left to save Spurs from the previously unthinkable prospect of playing the 2026/27 season in the Championship. He will have to do so without two key attacking players: Xavi Simons is out until 2027 with an ACL injury, and Dominic Solanke is unlikely to return this season due to a hamstring issue.
Solanke was forced off in the win at Molineux before Simons had to be stretchered off in agony. De Zerbi likely placed great hope in the attacking duo as he tries to navigate a way out of their perilous situation.
Current Standings and Fixtures
Spurs sit 18th, two points behind West Ham, who are the only realistic target for the north London side after both Leeds and Nottingham Forest pulled clear of trouble thanks to impressive unbeaten streaks. Tottenham face a trip to fifth-placed Aston Villa this weekend before facing Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton.
Having previously gone 15 league games without a win, they realistically need to win two of their final four games to leapfrog the Hammers. They will have to do so with the longest injury list of any side in the Premier League.
Extensive Injury List
After Solanke and Simons went down on Saturday, Spurs now have 10 unavailable players in their squad, a number only Liverpool (with eight) comes close to. Wilson Odobert, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Pape Sarr are all also suffering from injuries of differing severity at the worst possible time.
The lack of creativity and goalscoring threat is the most obvious issue, with Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani, and Mathys Tel the only recognised attackers currently fit. James Maddison has returned to the bench for the last two games but has not played a competitive match since last May after rupturing his ACL in pre-season.
Jamie Carragher's Perspective
Nevertheless, Jamie Carragher believes Maddison could prove crucial to keeping Spurs up. "He is the only one I can think of in terms of doing something special. He's got that quality I mention in terms of Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs-White," he said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. "He is coming back from a big injury and we might only be talking about 15 to 20 minutes off the bench, but he is the only one when I look at that squad and think he could produce that little bit of magic Spurs need, especially in the away games at Aston Villa and Chelsea."
Carragher added: "When I think of the Spurs players and that little bit of fear of going down, and it may have gone a little after the win at Wolves, but Maddison would continue to take the ball. He'd still want to take it no matter what the situation. For Spurs to stay up, I feel he has a role to play."
Tim Sherwood's Analysis
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood feels that injuries could end up being the deciding factor, with West Ham only missing veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski by comparison. "Injuries have derailed Tottenham all season, and it can't be bad luck," he told Sky Sports. "They need to review and have a good look at what's happening to their players because we can all get injured from contact, but a lot of these injuries are not contact. They are twists and soft tissue injuries. And ultimately, it looks like they might have to pay the price for it, the ultimate price, which is relegation."
De Zerbi cannot use injuries as an excuse. Using his depleted numbers, he must find a way to turn the tide.
