Igor Tudor appeared visibly deflated after Tottenham’s 2-1 loss at Fulham, their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat. The Spurs manager, who had been bullish just a week earlier following a 4-1 home defeat to Arsenal, now spoke of “big problems” and questioned his players’ character and intelligence. “The attack lacks quality, the midfield cannot run, and the defence is not prepared to suffer,” he said, adding that Fulham’s players were better at reading the game.
Tottenham have won just two of their last 19 league games since October, taking only 12 points. They are now four points clear of the relegation zone with ten matches remaining, having lost their past ten league matches. The club’s slide from title hopefuls a decade ago to potential relegation candidates has been attributed to complete mismanagement and widespread injuries.
Tudor’s defeatist tone drew comparisons to Antonio Conte’s infamous rant in March 2023, when the Italian blamed the club, the directors and the players for a lack of winning mentality. “The club has the responsibility for the transfer market,” Conte said at the time. “The players? Where are the players? I see only 11 players that play for themselves.”
Injuries have decimated the squad, with nine first-team players currently sidelined, including Djed Spence, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Cristian Romero is serving a four-match suspension. The club’s squad construction has also been criticised, with failures to refresh the ageing title-challenging group of ten years ago, partly due to stadium costs and fear of being seen as a selling club.
That Tottenham are even contemplating relegation is remarkable given they are the defending Europa League champions and finished fourth in the Champions League league phase. They were also a founder member of the Premier League and part of the Super League breakaway. However, their form over the past half-season has been that of a relegation side, and what seemed implausible weeks ago now feels horribly real.
