This is not the end. It is a fall. And now it has entered a stage that can no longer be denied. Tottenham Hotspur has completely collapsed.
Tottenham lost 0-1 to Sunderland in the 32nd round of the Premier League at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on the 13th (Korea time). With this defeat, they have gone 14 league matches without a win. This is not simple poor form but a trend close to a declaration of collapse.
More serious is the content rather than the result. the attack was frustrating, and the defense was unstable. there was neither the strength to control the game nor the energy to lift it. there was no pressing to drive the opponent back, and no decisive play that could turn the crisis around. in short, the entire team was stagnant.
The team that once prided itself as part of the big six now repeatedly shows performances no different from lower-table teams. what fans say is becoming increasingly blunt. "Kane and Son Heung-min were bigger than the club" is no longer an exaggerated assessment.
Tottenham of the past was different. there was an absolute axis in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Kane was not a simple striker. he dropped deep to link the play and became the starting point of attacks.
Son Heung-min terrorized opposing defenses with penetrating runs that split space and explosive finishes. when the two were together, Tottenham was a team with a clear identity. even when the game was blocked, there was an eventual answer. Kane's single strike or Son Heung-min's run would change the game.
But current Tottenham has no such presence. after Kane left, the structure wavered, and after Son Heung-min left, the team's color itself disappeared.
The current forwards are listless. Richarlison is the team's top scorer with nine league goals, but he is far from being the decisive card that breaks down opposing defenses. rather, the fact that Romero and Van den Berg are joint second with four goals each tells the current state. a team where defenders stand out more than strikers — that is Tottenham's bare face right now.
The patterns are monotonous. they switch to the flanks, send in crosses, and get blocked. then it repeats. there is no creativity, the build-up is readable, and the threat has disappeared.
The linking chains Kane used to create are gone, and the spaces Son Heung-min used to open are gone too. the same applies to the defense. conceding goals has become routine, and concentration is not maintained throughout the match. it is the typical appearance of a lower-table team with both attack and defense collapsed.
In the end, the fans exploded. after the match, social media was filled with criticism such as "now you can't even blame the coach," "the squad level is the problem," and "this team is no different from the relegation zone."
And the most painful remark remained. "Kane and Son Heung-min were bigger than the club." that sentence now describes Tottenham most accurately.
The appointment of manager De Zerbi has not become the answer. the tactical direction is visible, but there are no players to implement it on the pitch, nor leaders to hold the wavering team together.
In the end, the essence is simple. Tottenham is no longer the Tottenham of the Kane and Son Heung-min era. and now they are paying the price most painfully. the fall is not over yet.
[OSEN]