Tottenham Hotspur head to the south coast on Sunday evening to face bottom-of-the-league Southampton, hoping to end their winless run of five matches across all competitions.
Tottenham fans will be hoping that “Dr Tottenham”—renowned for curing other teams’ problems—can instead heal their own miserable form this time around.
Tottenham’s strong start to a season feels like a distant memory after their recent poor run. A draw against Rangers followed a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Chelsea, where a 2-0 lead evaporated thanks to defensive lapses and fatigue. Spurs have now gone five matches without a win in all competitions, scoring seven goals but failing to keep a single clean sheet despite Forster’s brilliant displays lately.
Southampton, meanwhile, are in dismal form, with no wins in their last five games and just one victory all season. The Saints have scored only four goals in their previous five outings and haven’t kept a clean sheet during that time.
Sitting rock bottom of the table, they average a paltry 0.7 goals per game. Despite their struggles, Southampton’s head-to-head record at home against Spurs is surprisingly decent, with just one loss in their last six encounters at St Mary’s.
Tottenham’s injury list remains extensive, with key players sidelined. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Ben Davies are all unavailable, though Davies is expected to return before the new year. Long-term absentees Richarlison, Guglielmo Vicario, Mikey Moore, and Wilson Odobert are still out, while Rodrigo Bentancur continues his domestic ban. Yves Bissouma is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Here’s another worrying trend: Porro and Udogie have misplaced a combined 56 passes in the last four games (Porro- 39, Udogie- 17). Most of these errors came when they were high up the pitch, leaving them exposed to opposition counters and forcing them into gruelling recovery runs.
Fatigue has clearly taken its toll on both players. Perhaps it’s time to give Djed Spence or Sergio Reguilón a chance, but Ange’s reluctance to rotate makes that unlikely. This also explains why we have conceded more shots in our last four games (18.8 per match) than we did in our first eleven (9.6)
On a brighter note, Brennan Johnson returned from illness to start against Rangers, while Lucas Bergvall is likely to get the nod in midfield alongside Dejan Kulusevski.
Southampton’s woes are not limited to their league position. Defender Jack Stephens is suspended following his red card, while Aaron Ramsdale remains sidelined with a broken finger. Adam Lallana is doubtful alongside Jan Bednarek, Paul Onuachu, Ross Stewart, and William Smallbone.
Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bergvall, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.
It’s been sleepless nights for Spurs fans since the win over Manchester City, but a trip to the Premier League’s basement boys could be the tonic needed. Not to forget, we are a club historically known for helping struggling teams.
Southampton’s biggest threat lies in their ability to create numerical advantages in attack. But this also leaves them highly vulnerable to the counterattack if they lose possession. With Dejan Kulusevski’s exceptional vision, Spurs have the tools to punish the Saints’ high-risk approach.
Southampton’s league-worst attack doesn’t inspire much confidence (0.7 goals per game), but their knack for scoring against Spurs—a 15-game streak in the Premier League—should keep the visitors on their toes. Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son, meanwhile, will relish this match. He has scored more goals (10) against Southampton than any other Premier League opponent.
A convincing win could finally bring some much-needed relief to North London. Let’s hope the Spurs show up as healers for the fans this time. Losing to a side with more yellow cards than goals and assists combined would be nothing short of embarrassing.
Predicted score: Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Southampton
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