Relegation is now a very real possibility for Tottenham

After losing 4-1 at home to Arsenal, Igor Tudor sounded bullish; a week later, following a 2-1 defeat at Fulham, he was deflated. He had described the North London derby defeat as part of a process that should jolt his players, yet after the next loss he merely mumbled about having to forget the game and move on.

A week in the job seemed to have broken him. Tudor is a specialist firefighter who has rescued teams from worse positions than being four points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games to play, which makes his defeatist tone all the more striking. He spoke of “big problems”, dismissed a question about his 4-4-2 formation with a snort, warned that the attack lacks quality, the midfield cannot run and the defence will not “suffer” to keep goals out, and even accused his players of lacking “brain”.

The line of attack recalled Antonio Conte’s infamous dressing-room tirade in March 2023; Conte left the club by mutual consent eight days later. The numbers underline the concern.

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