It’s safe to say it’s been a season filled with drama so far for Tottenham Hotspur.
Their woes are apparent on the pitch as they’ve slipped to 16th in the Premier League standings, due to which Thomas Frank was sacked earlier this year.
Igor Tudor’s arrival hasn’t really given them the bounce they hoped for, with a handful of key players out due to suspensions and injury.
Off the pitch, a manager who was tipped to oversee a new era has left after eight months, while club captain Cristian Romero has been vocal about the hierarchy’s structural frailties and their negligence in terms of squad planning.
Tottenham are the only winless side in the Premier League in 2026 and are in their worst run of form in the competition since 1994, when they narrowly avoided relegation.
Their defensive woes are well documented, but the underlying numbers seem to suggest they are actually overperforming their xG.
Stunning Tottenham statistic emerges
Tottenham’s clash against Crystal Palace will be one of the most important games in the club’s recent history.
With West Ham United and Nottingham Forest securing positive results yesterday, Tudor’s side are just a point above the relegation zone.
If their slippery slide continues, dropping down to the Championship could well be a real possibility, as they don’t have much time to turn things around.
Goal-scoring has been a major issue for the club: they’ve found the back of the net just 38 times in 28 games so far, which is just over a goal per game.
To make matters worse, their goal difference stands at -5, having conceded 43 times in the competition.
And now, a stat from WhoScored via TNT Sports has generated a lot of chatter ahead of the game.
Tottenham are one of two sides in the Premier League currently overperforming their xG, with the other being fellow relegation strugglers Burnley.
At this point in time, the North London outfit will throw data, style of play and a bunch of other things out of the window as their primary focus will be to just get points on the board to preserve their Premier League status.
However, it does make for interesting reading, as not too many people would have guessed Tottenham would be overperforming their xG if they’ve watched them play this season.
Tottenham’s top scorers in the Premier League this season
Richarlison leads the way with eight Premier League goals to his name, with Micky van de Ven, Romero (four each), Joao Palhinha and Mathys Tel (three each) making up the rest of the top five.
While Tel and Richarlison are expected to be a part of the list, the fact that two central defenders are in the top three goes to show how much they’ve struggled in front of goal.
Read More: The horrifying statistical proof that Tottenham are sleepwalking into relegation
Van de Ven and Romero have been prolific from set-pieces and attacking second balls in the box.
That said, at this point, Spurs won’t care how the goals come as long as they do, as they enter a run of fixtures that could determine their fate.
