What’s been increasingly apparent to despairing Tottenham fans for some months is now suddenly clear for everyone: their team could genuinely be relegated from the Premier League.
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 was never in realistic danger of relegation.
This season, the danger is real. Tottenham is in 16th place but just four points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining and is 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 rival 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 its eight games in all competitions.
It doesn’t help, either, that while Spurs are at a low ebb, Arsenal is currently the top team in England.
Tottenham has 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 semifinals and Arsenal won both games.
Manchester City is five points behind in second place, though has a game in hand, and is away to Leeds. That sees City striker Erling Haaland return to the city where he was born.
Players to watch
Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko will be looking to score in a third straight game when Crystal Palace visits Old Trafford. Sesko scored an equalizer against West Ham and then a winner at Everton, both times off the bench.
Out of action
Liverpool manager Arne Slot will hope for positive news about Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, who missed the win at Nottingham Forest last weekend because of back pain.
Liverpool hosts West Ham on Saturday.
Off the field
It seems Crystal Palace and its manager, Oliver Glasner, are heading toward a messy break-up.
Glasner, who led Palace to its first ever trophy last season by winning the FA Cup, has already confirmed he’s leaving his job at the end of the season and has been non-committal about whether he would even be staying that long.
Fans held up a banner containing the words, “Fans disrespected — Glasner finished” during a match against Wolverhampton last weekend.
The danger is real for Tottenham as specter of Premier League relegation looms
https://arab.news/jvtnq
The danger is real for Tottenham as specter of Premier League relegation looms
Marmoush double helps Man City to 3-1 win at Newcastle and place in FA Cup quarters
- Guardiola made 10 changes for the fifth-round tie from the team that drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday
NEWCASTLE, England: Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush struck twice as the visitors roared back from a goal down to beat Newcastle United 3–1 on Saturday and storm into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the eighth consecutive season.
The win keeps Pep Guardiola’s side on track for a fourth successive FA Cup final appearance, and keeps alive the chance of an elusive quadruple — Premier League, Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup trophies in a single season.
“This is the best performance we have played in this stadium since my decade here,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “That is consistency and that is why I am proud.”
Newcastle got off to a bright start and Harvey Barnes ran onto a through ball before firing into the far corner in the 18th minute to give the hosts the lead.
Seven-times FA Cup winners City, who are second in the Premier League, then flexed their muscles and Savinho equalized in the 39th with a bizarre goal when Jeremy Doku’s ball behind the defense rolled to the Brazilian and bounced in off his leg.
Marmoush scored the first of his two goals — and seventh against Newcastle since joining City in January last year — in the 47th when Matheus Nunes found him unmarked with a low ball across the face of goal and he fired into the roof of the net.
Marmoush completed his double in the 65th minute in similar fashion, latching onto a Nunes cross and striking a fierce shot.
There was no chance of a hat-trick as Guardiola sent Antoine Semenyo on the Egyptian’s place shortly after.
The manager, who was animated all night, waving his arms and jumping up and down, wrapped Marmoush in a huge hug as the forward headed to the bench.
“A decent performance, we didn’t start so well,” Marmoush told TNT. “We conceded early, but we showed our mentality and our passion on the pitch ... we’re very happy to go to the next round.”
Guardiola made 10 changes for the fifth-round tie from the team that drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
City’s Premier League-leading scorer Erling Haaland was not part of the squad ahead of an intense run of fixtures, including a Champions League last-16 clash at Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe felt his players “maybe ran out of gas, certainly in the second half but also toward the end of the first half.
“They really stretched us,” he told TNT. “You have to say they were a very good side.”
