Mar 24, 2026
3 min read
Ahead of Sunday's relegation clash between visiting Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, who host a crucial game in the battle for Premier League survival, Tottenham fans took to the streets of north London in what appeared to be a trophy parade.There was fire, chants and nervous excitement as Spurs headed into their home match against the team below them in the relegation battle.It was a sight:
After that, "Tottenham" had to play the game.How did that happen?
16 Look at the statistics of the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Forest.You might think that Tottenham controlled the game: 59 percent possession, almost double the number of shots (14-8), 13 corner kicks and only three from the visitors.These are figures that would normally indicate a victory for Tottenham, but nothing has been easy for Tottenham this season.None of Forest's three goals are particularly difficult, and that's perhaps the most worrying thing for the home team.There are no incredible solo plays or brilliant tactical changes from Forest manager Vitor Pereira.All three goals came from a corner kick in the 45th minute, then two left-wing cuts from Forred, a goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 62nd minute, and another from Nico Williams in the 87th minute.Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi converted full cuts respectively, while Igor Jesus scored only his third goal of the season in the opening goal.
In the end, Spurs failed to create much of a legitimate threat.Of their 14 shots, only three were on target: one in the first half of extra time, the other two after the side went 3-0 down, both from Dominic Solanke.Tottenham could not find any rhythm and connection between their field and the attack and Pape Matar Sarr was the victim of two of the three goals.Sarr missed Gibbs-White in the second and missed Williams in the third, although I'll cut him some slack there, as he was on an island against two Forest players from a long free-kick;there was little he could have done there, and Kevin Danso may be partly to blame for not marking Awoniyi harder in the box.There is not much positive to be gained from this risk, whether in the micro sense of this game in particular or the larger, more worrying task facing Tottenham ahead of the remaining two months of the season.
The defeat to Forest is the latest atrocity in what has turned out to be far worse than a nightmare season.Since I last checked in at Tottenham, things have gotten even worse, and it is only as a result of West Ham's poor form that even now, after the latest embarrassment in this ignominious century of humiliation, that Tottenham are still safe by a finger, a point (and a significant goal difference) over the Hammers.advantage).
Since the 2-1 defeat at Fulham on March 1, which inspired my last attempt at the Lilywhites story, Tottenham have achieved little to be proud of.If anything, I jumped the gun by one game, as four days later Fulham lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace, with Mickey van de Ven receiving a red card in the first half.To pull a last ditch effort into the box.That followed Spain's 5-2 defeat by Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, where Tottenham looked to be nowhere near the competition, just missing out on the knockout stages.
Because Liverpool have been the worst of their rivals this season, Tottenham finally broke their six-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw, which came with Richarlison's right foot in the 90th minute. Atlético won 3-2 in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.Of course, victory is the only consolation in the game they won, but they will lose to their two fans.The results could see Tottenham enter the competition to compete.
Alas, the short, qualified good time didn't last long.This weekend's defeat at Forest was probably the worst game Tottenham have played since they last played Forest in December;Forest won that game by the same margin 3-0.Perhaps the most damning indictment of Tottenham's tenure is Forest, a club who reached new heights last year only to lose that campaign horribly, winning both league matches 6-0 on aggregate.
Where do Tottenham go from here?I don't want to criticize director Igor Tudor too much.Because he found out his father had passed away right after Sunday's game.But he can't hold on to this for long.On Monday, former Monaco coach Adi "Please don't call me by my name" intensified rumors of Hütter's dismissal and possible replacement.He's not a huge upgrade for Tottenham, but he'll relieve Tudor from a position that doesn't work for anyone.
Whatever the solution is for Tottenham, the club must find it quickly, because the road to the end of the season is not easy.There is only one game on the calendar against a team in the relegation zone, against Wolves on April 25, meaning the two supposedly easy games have already been played and there is little chance for Tottenham to build a direct cushion over their rival in the fight for survival.Speaking of rivals, in addition to Forest, who now have two points over Tottenham, Spurs also have to face West Ham, and they may be the club's saving grace.West Ham has some time for Tottenham to recover, because the Hammers were bad at the beginning, but they turned it around in the new year.However, during the jump out of the relegation zone on Sunday, West Ham lost 2-0 to Aston Villa, so they are still behind Tottenham on the aforementioned point.Both schedules look evenly matched going forward, so it will all depend on who can bounce back with seven games remaining.
Ahead of Sunday's kick-off, I'd say Tottenham turned things around to avoid the ignominy of relegation;Liverpool's points were huge, and while the performance itself wasn't spectacular, Spurs at least showed some fight against Atlético.But the side looked so battered and useless against Forest that I lost my mind.West Ham are not formidable opponents, but the Hammers are playing better than Spurs and Tottenham have shown that at any time they are only one defeat away.Maybe a change of manager is in order, but if I were a gambler (thanks to whatever part of my brain makes me a gambler), I'd bet on Tottenham trading in the Championship next year.What a disaster.
