In his first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur coach, Igor Tudor affirmed that he was completely confident that Spurs would stay in the league. But just 10 days later, the atmosphere changed significantly.
Two consecutive defeats in the first 2 matches leading the team - against Fulham and Arsenal - forced Tudor to re-examine many problems in Tottenham's playing style.
We lack sharpness in attack. We lack quality to score goals. We lack energy in midfield. We also lack solidity in defense to withstand pressure and not concede goals. It's amazing" - Tudor admitted after Spurs' last defeat to Fulham.
Tudor's frank comments have sketched a rather gloomy picture of the current situation of the team.
The new captain of Spurs, who was once very excited when taking office, now clearly feels the harsh reality of the team after only 2 matches.
Tottenham lacks sharpness in attack
Tottenham is going through a 10-match winning streak in the Premier League and seems to have completely lost their spirit.
Even, Spurs did not lead in any Premier League matches in February. The last time they took the lead in the league was in just 7 minutes in the match against Burnley on January 24.
The attacking style lacks coherence, partly because Tottenham cannot control the ball stably. In Spurs' 10 matches since the beginning of the year, they are at the bottom of the Premier League table in terms of both the number of ball losses and the total number of ball losses.
Since the beginning of the year, only 35% of Tottenham's attacks have reached the final 1/3 of the field. Only the bottom 2 teams, Wolves and Burnley, have lower rates.
In other words, Spurs are having a lot of difficulty in bringing the ball close to the opponent's goal - an image no different from teams struggling in the relegation group. Therefore, it is not surprising that they cannot take the lead.
Defense issues are increasingly serious
You put the players on the field, but you lack defensive ability, lack running and lack tackling. So what to do?
Football is a sport of running and competition. I have a feeling that Fulham players always come first. Even in terms of thinking, they are faster than us. We always come late" - Tudor asked after the defeat to Fulham.
In the first half of the match against Fulham - when the home team quickly led 2-0 - Spurs only won 40% of ball disputes. They were completely overwhelmed by Marco Silva's team, and that is also a familiar story throughout the season.
Tottenham is currently at the bottom of the Premier League table in terms of winning aerial duels. Since the beginning of the year, they have also been the team that has lost the most aerial duels in the league.
Not only that, many defensive problems of Spurs also stem from their own mistakes. "The Spurs" have made up to five direct mistakes leading to goals conceded in 2026 - the most in the Premier League.
In addition, no team in the league has more mistakes leading to opponent's shots than Tottenham this year. As a result, Spurs are facing the highest expected conceded goals (xGA) index in the league, making it extremely difficult to keep a clean sheet.
