Harry Kane was a frustrated figure as Spurs were thumped by Newcastle (Picture: Reuters)
The trip to Newcastle was about as bad as it can be for Tottenham as the hosts scored with the first attack of the match and raced into a scarcely believable 5-0 lead in 21 minutes.
The capitulation was complete, as was the embarrassment and anger of Spurs fans and the shame the players surely felt after the 6-1 hiding.
On that display and the toxicity of recent months, it’s actually staggering this Tottenham team are still fifth in the table and anywhere near the Champions League places.
Here we look at how they can arrest their shambolic freefall.
All change… again
It only seems like five minutes ago Antonio Conte left in the wake of laying into his players, labelling them ‘selfish’ and accusing them of not being able to play under pressure.
But things had been on the slide long before then, with his managerial style seemingly the polar opposite of what Spurs fans expect.
Turning to his No.2 and close ally Cristian Stellini, who has gone about things exactly the same way, for the rest of the season has not exactly been a hit and the Italian is on borrowed time.
Results and performances have been poor, reaching a nadir at Newcastle. Letting things drift for the final six games could see them overtaken by Aston Villa, Liverpool and others – going from the top-four fight to barely scraping into the top half.
What’s the short-term option?
Stellini’s chances of staying look slim. Assuming he goes, the obvious step is to hand Ryan Mason the reins for four games – he was widely tipped to take caretaker charge when Conte departed, with many stunned Stellini did not follow his long-time colleague out of the door.
With the board reportedly hoping continuity would be good for the players, the former Tottenham midfielder did not get a second crack, having had a stint in 2021.
It is hard to see how the situation could become much worse if the club do opt for change and Mason, possibly with someone like Chris Powell promoted from within to assist him, could at least freshen things up.
Mason would also show some passion. Stellini’s sphinx-like poise on the touchline does not scream ‘man in charge’ and while his red card against Brighton seemed harsh, standing there and apparently pretending the melee next to him wasn’t happening was, frankly, a bit odd.
Should they crack on a get a permanent boss?
The other option for Daniel Levy and the Spurs hierarchy would be to pull their finger out and get on with installing a long-term solution.
Cristian Stellini admitted his strategy was at fault against Newcastle (PIcture: Shutterstock)
Spurs and Chelsea have seemingly been chasing around the same handful of candidates, but is it worth pulling out all the stops to tie down one of available duo of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique?
They seem to have missed the boat on old favourite Mauricio Pochettino, who looks set for the Blues – so the new man could have a handful of games to assess the squad and then have the benefit a full summer to steer recruitment for next season.
Given past dawdlings on this front, fans probably won’t hold their breath.
Players have to stand up
Tottenham have some good players. Really good players. So why the heck are they playing so badly? Turgid tactics, a toxic atmosphere and low confidence do not exactly help but there are enough experienced players there to try to take games by the scruff of the neck.
Yes, they are missing Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle of the park but a squad packed with internationals should not seem so lost.
Shellshocked captain Hugo Lloris was baffled the team ‘could not fight’ at Newcastle on Sunday and they are crying out for someone to stand up and rally the troops.
All at sea at the back, their attacking talent is also weirdly flat. While Harry Kane keeps scoring regularly, nobody else does. Heung-min Son has been way below his brilliant best, apart from the odd flash of his undoubted genius, Richarlison has done little since arriving last summer – though he would argue he hasn’t had much of chance – and Dejan Kulusevski is a shadow of the player who looked so dangerous when he first arrived.
It is hard to say if the squad need a collective rocket up the backside or if disaffected players need an arm around the shoulder, but they have to take some collective responsibility.
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Tottenham must find a way to stop the rot
