Although coach Igor Tudor tried to ask the entire Tottenham team to look ahead and re-evaluate themselves, there are still people in the club who cannot forget what happened in the derby match with Arsenal.
The players looked tired, but according to those present, the new leadership was really haunted. The heaviest home defeat against Arsenal since 1978 was already bad enough, but what is more worrying is that the feeling of changing coaches cannot change the negative atmosphere surrounding the club.
The most frightening perception is that there is no quick solution at this time. Tudor is shouldering one of the most difficult tasks in the team's history. And now, the prospect of relegation is no longer unimaginable.
The confrontation with Fulham may be even more meaningful than the North London derby. If Spurs win, their psychology will be relieved, they will have time to breathe and rebuild their beliefs. A draw at least shows progress. But if they fail, the alarm bell will ring fiercely.
Tottenham's relegation will be the biggest shock in the Premier League, perhaps only after Manchester United's disaster in the 1973-1974 season. But unlike the stories of financial decline like Leeds United in the 2003-2004 season, Spurs did not fall into that situation because of excessive spending.
Ironically, their problem lies in the opposite. Tottenham is currently the ninth richest club in the world in terms of revenue. In an era where the salary fund is 90% relative to the position in the rankings, releasing such a team is almost impossible.
Only 5 years after participating in the Super League project, Spurs can now face the prospect of relegation - a bitter paradox of modern football.
It has been 10 years since their campaign to compete for the top spot in Leicester City's fairy season. It has been 7 years since the 2019 Champions League final - a peak that should have opened a new era.
Many "Roosters" fans have long questioned the orientation of the owners, the Lewis family. They believe that limited investment in the past 25 years has made the club increasingly vulnerable.
Too much power was once given to Daniel Levy. Ironically, his long-awaited departure made the transition process chaotic, revealing a lack of expertise and football vision.
The Tottenham squad is considered unbalanced, the salary fund for many years has been kept low compared to financial capacity, and according to internal sources, the dressing room has scars and factions.
Tudor therefore has to solve a mess at all levels. The situation is not deadlocked as Tottenham's squad is still of quality. Tudor also believes that the players are suitable for his tactical system.
A victory can change the mood immediately, helping everyone calm down and re-establish the orbit. However, this is still an extremely dangerous situation. A wealthy team, once believing that they belonged to the elite class of Europe, now has to rely on a miracle and belief to avoid one of the biggest shocks in English football history.
To turn around this nightmare, Tottenham needs the simplest but also the most difficult thing at this time. That is a victory to pull everyone back in the right direction.
