What’s gone wrong at Spurs?
LONDON: Just last month, Tottenham were being hailed as an emerging force in the Champions League after a dashing win over holders Real Madrid, but that success cannot obscure the team’s decline in the Premier League.
A dismal run of one win in their last five Premier League games has left Tottenham languishing in seventh — their lowest league berth since October 2015.
They trail leaders Manchester City by 16 points and are four points adrift of the top four.
It is a shocking fall for a team that finished as runners-up last season and were expected to mount a sustained challenge for the club’s first English title since 1961.
While their Champions League form offers hope of salvation, domestically Tottenham are stuck in a rut.
So what has gone wrong? Here AFP Sport takes a closer look at Tottenham’s malaise.
Wembley woes - Forced to move into Wembley while the club builds a new arena at White Hart Lane, Tottenham have found the national stadium an inhospitable second home.
Having already struggled while playing their European games there last season, Tottenham failed to win any of their first three league matches at the stadium this term.
Pochettino’s men finally got off the mark at home in the league in October, but crashed out of the League Cup against West Ham and were held to a draw by lowly West Bromwich Albion in their most recent home fixture.
Wembley’s pitch is bigger than the old White Hart Lane, which was smaller than modern regulations allow, and Tottenham have struggled to play their hightempo pressing game there, while the much less intimate atmosphere of the cavernous national stadium makes it a less intimidating venue for opponents.
Stage fright - Tottenham have managed just one win in 17 trips to the Premier League’s big six since Mauricio Pochettino took charge in May 2014.
That wretched run includes damaging losses at Manchester United and Arsenal this season — making it 10 defeats in those crucial away fixtures in Pochettino’s reign.
Not since February 2016, when they won at Manchester City, have Pochettino’s side taken three points at one of their main rivals.
“There have been so many games even when Harry Kane has played where Spurs didn’t play with any personality,” former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp said.
“They have to improve this if they want to win the title. Pochettino’s record against the top six isn’t good enough.”
Authors of own downfall - Tottenham’s dip has coincided with the release of Pochettino’s book, ‘Brave New World’, which documents his time in charge of Tottenham.
Since the first extracts were released in October, Tottenham have won only four of their 10 games, while before the book came out they managed eight victories in 11.
Pochettino’s book detailed private conversations with a number of key players but he argues his relationship with his squad remains strong. — AFP