Tottenham haven’t played a game of football in three weeks but have dropped into the Premier League relegation zone just days after Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival.
Konstantinos Mavropanos’ first-half strike for West Ham vs Wolves has taken them two points clear of Spurs, although a lot could change in the second half.
Nevertheless, the daunting prospect of relegation looms large at N17, with the pressure mounting on De Zerbi to deliver the goods immediately.
Tottenham will most definitely have one eye on the second half and hope for a Wolves comeback, but as things stand, Sunday’s game against Sunderland has quickly become the most important game in their recent Premier League history.
Tottenham need to deliver vs Sunderland
The North London side haven’t won a Premier League game since late December, which goes to show just how bad things have been this season.
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De Zerbi has the almost impossible task of motivating players who have become so used to losing since the turn of the year, but the need to get a result against Sunderland can’t be any higher.
The Italian spoke about expecting a shift in his players’ mentality as they look like a squad that has had the stuffing knocked out of them.
Sunderland have proved to be notoriously hard to beat at the Stadium of Light, but simply put, Tottenham are playing for their Premier League status and that should be central to De Zerbi’s team talk.
When was the last time Tottenham were in the relegation zone?
Following a 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth in September 2008, Tottenham slipped into the relegation zone after just two points from their first six Premier League games.
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Juande Ramos was sacked and a certain Harry Redknapp took over the reins to successfully guide them to safety.
However, it is worth noting that the last time Tottenham were in the relegation zone, the season was only six game weeks old.
In stark contrast, De Zerbi’s side only have seven games left to change their destiny as they are well and truly in the pits currently.
Tottenham have never been relegated in the Premier League era. In fact, the last time they dropped to the second division was back in 1977, so unwanted history is being carved with each passing moment.
We get it. Things can change so quickly in football. Wolves could spark a turnaround in the second half to leave West Ham empty-handed. Tottenham could even secure a win on Sunday to finally stop the rot.
But as things stand, the writing is on the wall. Tottenham are officially in the relegation zone and if that doesn’t ring alarm bells at Hotspur Way, nothing else will.
