Tottenham's fear of relegation is becoming increasingly serious after the 1-3 home defeat to Crystal Palace, as their terrible season is sliding to the brink of crisis.
This defeat - with a red card from Micky van de Ven and 3 goals conceded in just 19 minutes of the first half - extended Spurs' winless streak to 11 in the Premier League. Notably, this is also the first time in 22 years they have lost 5 consecutive matches in the highest league in England.
Coach Igor Tudor is having many difficulties in reversing the situation since being appointed to replace Thomas Frank. Tottenham is currently only one point ahead of the relegation group and ahead of them is a challenging away game to Anfield against Liverpool on March 15.
From Champions League hopes to relegation battles
Spurs' season started not too badly. Under Frank, they won 3 of their first 4 Premier League matches, including impressive victories at Manchester City and West Ham.
The 3-0 victory over West Ham in September last year even helped Tottenham equalize points with Arsenal in the top group. However, when Arsenal began to break through in the championship race, Spurs quickly declined. The 5-match winless streak from November to December dragged them down to the bottom half of the table.
Although the 2-0 victory over Brentford in December helped the "Roosters" temporarily return to the upper half, the two subsequent defeats against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool quickly turned the European cup target into a concern for relegation.
Frank was sacked on February 11 when Spurs were ranked 16th. Under Tudor, they remained in this position and the gap with the relegation group is now only one point. According to Opta statistics, Spurs' relegation odds have increased to 16% - their highest level in the season.
Worrying figures
Professional data shows that Tottenham is in the right position reflecting their actual form. The ranking based on the expected goal index (xG) shows that Spurs are only equal to the expected points with Wolves and even below West Ham.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Burnley - teams that are in the relegation group - are also not too far apart from Spurs in terms of statistics.
Another big problem is the ability to maintain the advantage. After losing to Palace - where they took the lead thanks to Dominic Solanke's goal but still collapsed - Tottenham has lost a total of 15 points from the matches they previously led this season.
Since the beginning of last season, Tottenham has dropped 44 points from the lead - the most in the Premier League, far exceeding the league average of 31 points.
Injury, discipline and chaos
The defeat to Crystal Palace also exposed a series of other problems for Spurs. Tudor only has 15 first-team players ready to play and is forced to add a third goalkeeper and 3 young players from the academy to the bench. The long injury list has seriously devastated Tottenham's squad.
In total, Spurs have lost 1,528 days due to injuries this season - nearly 25% more than any other team in the Premier League.
Pillars such as James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus have all been sidelined for many stages of the season. Having to fight in the Champions League after winning the Europa League last season makes Spurs' thin squad even more difficult to rotate.
In addition, disciplinary issues also began to appear. Van de Ven's red card came just weeks after Cristian Romero received his second red card this season. Tottenham received 74 yellow cards - the highest in the league - and surpassed the total number of cards for the entire previous season when the campaign still had 9 rounds left.
Tactical instability
In that chaotic context, Tottenham has not yet found tactical stability. Frank was criticized for not building a clear playing style, and Tudor has also continuously changed the system and personnel since taking over the team.
Spurs have changed their starting lineup 82 times this season - the second most in the Premier League, only after Chelsea. That inconsistency is clearly reflected in Tottenham's erratic performances, when a season that once started promisingly is now facing the risk of becoming a disaster.
