Danger is real for Spurs as EPL relegation looms

LONDON (AP):

What has been increasingly apparent to despairing Tottenham fans for some months is now suddenly clear for everyone: their team could genuinely be relegated from the English Premier League (EPL).

Spurs have been regarded for some time as part of England’s so-called “Big Six” – so much so that they were involved in the quickly aborted Super League project in 2021 – but they aren’t playing like it, at least in the Premier League.

Last season, Tottenham finished in 17th place, one spot above the bottom three, but were never in realistic danger of relegation.

This season, the danger is real. Tottenham are in 16th place but just four points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining and are the only team in the league without a win in 2026 heading into a match at Fulham on Sunday.

The only victories this calendar year have come in the Champions League, which Tottenham finished in the top eight after the first stage to advance directly to the round of 16.

Spurs – the Europa League winners last season – haven’t been able to reproduce their European exploits in the Premier League, with their shortcomings exposed in a 4-1 thrashing by fierce rivals Arsenal last weekend. That was Igor Tudor ‘s first match in charge of Tottenham and it laid bare the scale of the task facing the Croatian, who replaced Thomas Frank at the helm.

Tudor has a long injury list to deal with – among the top players on it are James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, and Pedro Porro – as well as confidence issues within the squad. Do they have the stomach for a relegation battle?

Also going against Tottenham is the fact that third-to-last West Ham is showing more resilience in recent weeks, losing just one of their eight games in all competitions.

It doesn’t help, either that while Spurs are at a low ebb, Arsenal are currently the top team in England.

Tottenham have been an ever-present in the Premier League since the competition was founded in 1992 and last played in the second tier in the 1977-78 season.

KEY MATCHUPS

The title race resumes with first-place Arsenal at home to Chelsea. They recently met over two legs in the English League Cup semi-finals, and Arsenal won both games.

Manchester City are five points behind in second place, though they have a game in hand, and are away to Leeds. That sees City striker Erling Haaland return to the city where he was born.