Ex-PL Star Sees ‘Big Differentiator’ Between Spurs And Rivals West Ham And Nottingham Forest
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Former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop has identified what he sees as the key difference between Tottenham Hotspur and relegation rivals West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, saying Spurs lack the unity to handle the pressure of the survival fight.
With nine games remaining in the Premier League campaign, Wolves and Burnley remain stuck to the bottom of the table, with West Ham sitting 18th, while the final relegation berth appears set to be contested by Forest, West Ham, or Spurs, with just a single point separating the trio.
Last season, the Lilywhites lifted the Europa League, but their domestic form told a very different story as they endured a miserable league campaign and finished just one place above the bottom three.
Since returning to the top flight in 2022, Nottingham Forest placed 16th in their first season back and narrowly preserved their status the following year with a 17th-place finish, leaving them well acquainted with the tension of battling to stay in the division.
West Ham are no strangers to survival scraps, having been involved in several relegation dogfights, most notably dropping to the second tier in 2011, and they hold the unwanted record for the highest points tally by a relegated side with 42 in the 2002/03 season.
Hislop assessed the relegation challenges for Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, suggesting Forest may face the toughest upcoming fixtures while emphasising that no match is straightforward near the bottom of the table.
The 57-year-old highlighted a key difference between the three sides, noting that although Spurs faced similar pressure last season, the ability to stay composed in a relegation fight could give Nottingham Forest and West Ham an advantage due to their greater familiarity with such conditions.
In contrast, he pointed to incidents involving Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero’s indiscipline as signs of internal disarray at Spurs, casting doubt on the team’s unity and ability to cope with the challenges ahead.
Hislop said on ESPN FC (5:22): “Listen, of the three, I think Forest probably have arguably the hardest run, but when you’re near the bottom as you are, the old cliche, no game is easy.
“I think the big difference, the big differentiator between Forest and West Ham, and I know Spurs were far too close to the bottom three last year themselves, but that was two managers ago.
“That’s a different kind of pressure, pressure which Forest and West Ham are more used to, and again, I know what Spurs did last season, but you just wonder if that kind of experience, being able to keep your cool and keep your calm under that pressure, serves Forest and West Ham all the better.
“You’ve seen Spurs kind of come apart at the seams, spoke about Porro and his reaction to being substituted, Van de Ven indisciplined in getting sent off, Romero is just about to come back from his four-match suspension.
“All these things kind of adding up just points to a Spurs team that are in total disarray, and I’m not sure that they’re unified enough to survive the kind of pressure that will come their way, that’s on their doorstep.”
Tottenham have yet to experience any uplift under Igor Tudor, losing all three matches since his arrival to extend a worrying run of five straight league defeats, with Richard Keys dismissing the Croatian’s suggestion that the squad he inherited lack the required fitness levels.
The Lilywhites now turn their focus to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League round of 16 before shifting back to domestic matters, with a Premier League meeting with Liverpool looming the following weekend.
Whether the north London side can steady the ship remains to be seen, with Spurs urgently needing to arrest their slide and create some breathing room between themselves and the drop zone.
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