Tottenham Hotspur are in uncharted territory, and Tuesday’s thumping 5-2 Champions League last 16 defeat against Atletico Madrid has only exacerbated the situation.
That result left Tottenham on the brink of elimination, but it also piled the pressure on interim manager Igor Tudor, who set a new unwanted record.
Having lost every game he has overseen since succeeding Thomas Frank, the Croatian has become the first manager in Tottenham’s history to kick off his tenure with four consecutive defeats.
As if that wasn’t enough, Tottenham supporters have now watched their side lose six matches in a row across all competitions for the first time in the club’s history.
Antonin Kinsky was the primary culprit in the damaging defeat.
After conceding three times inside the opening quarter hour, the Czech goalkeeper was replaced by Tottenham’s first-choice shot-stopper, Guglielmo Vicario.
That substitution didn’t make much of a difference as Vicario also conceded twice on either side of half time, but the spotlight was firmly on Kinsky, who was cruelly taken off after just 17 minutes.
Tudor’s gamble cost Tottenham in crucial UCL showdown
Many Tottenham fans are pointing the finger at Tudor for the humbling defeat, and rightly so, considering his call to throw Kinsky into the deep end backfired spectacularly.
Not only was he making his Champions League debut for Tottenham, the goalkeeper hadn’t started a game since October, which made Tudor’s decision even more baffling.
After the defeat, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) vented their anger and frustration in a statement that described the performance as “a total disgrace”.
They also called on the leadership to take “emergency action”, starting with refunding fans in Madrid who watched the game at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
“Tonight’s performance and result is a total disgrace,” THST wrote in a scathing statement. “It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now.
“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult, but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline.
“At the very least, those in Madrid should have their match tickets refunded. We are here to support the team and be the 12th man. But we all deserve so much more.”