Are Tottenham Really in a Relegation Battle?
by Sam Cox | by Tyler Doty
Tottenham are on a nine-match winless run in the Premier League. No other team has been waiting longer for a victory.
The Lilywhites are only four points ahead of the relegation zone following their 4-1 drubbing in the North London derby on Sunday.
New manager Igor Tudor still believes Spurs will stay up, despite some damning words after the defeat on Sunday.
Tudor said, "I know the truth , now I saw the truth. It's not nice, but it is how it is…
“That we need to work. Too many bad habits in the past. We need to look at ourselves, grow and be humble...
...We need to run more, play better, defend better, win duels, second balls.”
It’s three league defeats in a row. Spurs have four points from the last 27 available. That is relegation form, but their underlying numbers tell a more promising story.
Spurs’ expected points are only narrowly behind third-placed Aston Villa. Their defense is solid by its expected metrics and their expected points in 2026 aren’t as dire as the return of four points might indicate.
Injury Struggles
Injuries are a bigger challenge for Tudor than any bad habits built under Thomas Frank. Nine first-team players are sidelined – many of them for the rest of the season – and Cristian Romero has two matches left on his suspension.
Spurs Injuries
- James Maddison – ACL
- Dejan Kulusevski – knee
- Mohammed Kudus – hamstring
- Rodrigo Bentancur – hamstring
- Ben Davies – ankle
- Lucas Bergvall – ankle
- Destiny Udogie – hamstring
- Wilson Odobert – ACL
Still, Tudor has enough talent as his disposal to get points on the board. Richarlison, Mathys Tel, and Dominic Solanke came off the bench on Sunday with Yves Bissouma, Connor Gallagher, and Pape Matar Sarr representing a strong midfield trio.
João Palhinha playing as a centre-back in a back three isn’t ideal, but it’s not enough to make Tudor’s task impossible. Xavi Simons provides creativity and Randal Kolo Muani scored his first Premier League goal at the weekend.
Favorable Fixtures
Without downplaying the disappointing nature of this season, Spurs’ recent poor run can partly be attributed to the quality of their opponents.
This winless streak started with poor results, but an injury-stricken team taking one point from matches against Manchester City, a resurgent Manchester United, Newcastle, and Arsenal is hardly surprising.
March brings more favorable matches for Tudor as he aims to turn Spurs’ season around.
Upcoming League Fixtures
- March 1: Fulham (A)
- March 5: Crystal Palace (H)
- March 15: Liverpool (A)
- March 22: Nottingham Forest (H)
- April 11: Sunderland (A)
- April 18: Brighton (H)
- April 25: Wolves (A)
Fulham beat Sunderland at the weekend, but their form has been far from impressive in 2026. They have the fourth-fewest expected points in the Premier League this term.
Crystal Palace needed a late goal to beat the 10 men of Wolves on Sunday after blowing a 2-0 lead to Burnley and a disappointing draw in the Conference League Playoff.
Liverpool look to be back on track, but they are hardly unbeatable this season, particularly if Spurs rebuild some confidence over their next two matches.
Nottingham Forest have had a difficult season. Their away form has been patchy and only Wolves have scored fewer goals.
Since Dec. 15, Sunderland have 10 points from 11 league matches. Over that period, only Forest and Burnley have worse expected numbers. Brighton have 13 away points all season, while Wolves will already be relegated by the time they host Spurs.
Spurs Will be Fine
With 11 matches to play, nine points should guarantee safety for Spurs. Tudor has inherited a team at a low ebb – it can only go up from here with plenty of winnable fixtures to come.
Even if their injury list remains at its current length, Spurs should win at least three of their next seven. It’s not fanciful to imagine they claim five or six victories, given the form of the teams they are facing.
The ‘too good to go down’ cliché has often been proven inaccurate, but it’s a reasonable conclusion to draw with this Spurs team.
