Tottenham were demolished 6-1 by Newcastle United on Sunday, a defeat that makes their chances of Champions League qualification appear slim.
There is scope for this week to get even worse, with games against Manchester United and Liverpool to come and the club discussing whether to part ways with interim manager Cristian Stellini.
Once the season is over, there are longer-term problems to deal with such as the appointment of a permanent manager or head coach and Harry Kane’s future.
Chief Football Correspondent Jason Burt looks at the issues Spurs must fix to get back to where Daniel Levy believes the club belongs.
What to do with Cristian Stellini?
It may appear ruthless but the sensible approach would be to sack Stellini before Tottenham face Manchester United on Thursday and place Ryan Mason in charge until the end of the season if they cannot secure the manager they really want right now.
Tottenham absolutely need to change the toxic mood and atmosphere around the club which, once again, is turning mutinous and could see them failing to even qualify for Europe.
The mistake they made was retaining Stellini once Antonio Conte left – presumably either because they didn’t want to pay him off as well or because the results had been good when he had taken charge when Conte was ill.
Stellini’s previous managerial experience was coaching lower Italian side Alessandria after working with Genoa’s Under-21s.
He is apparently popular at Spurs but it simply hasn’t worked. Stellini was never going to really change things – partly because he will expect to team up again with Conte at his fellow Italian’s next club.
Mason is highly regarded and has been tipped as a manager for the future – Championship and League One clubs have already tried to hire him – but he is only 31 and his last spell as a caretaker was not a success.
But for the final six games he might just lift the atmosphere especially if Spurs are smart and bring in an experienced older manager to work with him. Last time they turned to Chris Powell but maybe someone with a bit more knowledge as a number one, such as Chris Hughton, might just work? Even half a dozen games with Harry Redknapp alongside Mason could do the trick.
Stick or twist on formation
The 3-4-3 formation is classic, default Antonio Conte. He has used it to great success – not least at Chelsea – wherever he has been and will not budge. At Spurs it has not worked this season partly because they have failed to adhere to the principles that he claims underpin it: press high and defend deep. For example, AC Milan were shocked at how little Spurs pressed them during their Champions League last-16 tie. Spurs have stuck with it post-Conte before suddenly changing to a back-four to disastrous effect against Newcastle United.
So what now? The injury to Rodrigo Bentancur has badly affected their midfield while Yves Bissouma has also been absent to reduce their options to change things. It means Spurs simply do not have the personnel to play 4-3-3 effectively. Against Newcastle they were left with three defensive midfielders and Ivan Perisic as an orthodox left-back. That was never going to work.
Maybe using Ben Davies and the soon to be fit Emerson Royal might help but Spurs are still left short in midfield.
They may have little choice but to stick with 3-4-3 for now because the balance of the squad – far too many defenders and forward players – is all wrong. That must be on Conte – did £40million really have to be spent on right-back/wing-back Pedro Porro? – and his recruitment as well as the historic failures in buying and selling players and not making enough changes.
Choose the right manager
Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to pull out of the contest to become Chelsea’s new head coach presents Tottenham with an interesting opportunity. Nagelsmann clearly felt he did not want to be part of an interview process so if Spurs want to get him and feel he is the right person for the job the strategy is clear: offer it to the 35-year-old German now. They were interested before.
The impressive work Nagelsmann did at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig should encourage Spurs more than what happened at Bayern Munich where he stood accused of not getting to the pitch of the job. However as Thomas Tuchel is quickly finding out Bayern’s problems – and it is an intensely political club – run deeper than the coach.
Spurs approach must be to employ a project manager. To, in fact, go back to 2014 when they hired Mauricio Pochettino – who has been open to returning now but has not been contacted – from Southampton and now looks set for Chelsea. Since his departure they have tried to short-cut the system with a succession of coaches – Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte – designed to bring immediate success but it has failed.
Now they need a reset and they need time. Nagelsmann can fit the bill but also can a coach such as Arne Slot who has worked wonders on a shoestring at Feyenoord and plays exciting, attacking football. Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi would be ideal but is likely to be unobtainable. Similarly Luis Enrique.
Whoever comes in will be the 13th permanent manager Levy has hired in 22 years and without ever being consistent in the types of coaches he has gone for. That, too, has to change. Spurs need to work out what they want to be and then who can achieve that for them. They also have to understand that their fans are more patient than their board.
Sell or keep: what to do with Harry Kane?
Even though he has just one year left on his contract, Spurs should fight tooth and nail to keep Harry Kane. They will have a battle on their hands, possibly even more so than two years ago he tried to force his way out to join Manchester City. This time the most likely suitors will be Manchester United who Kane has long been interested in joining. He gets on well with their England contingent and will regard himself as the striker who can make a difference and lead them back to greater success.
Although Spurs fans would not begrudge the forward, who turns 30 in July, the move would be hugely damaging for the club. He is the only one providing the glue at the moment in a fractured situation; the one disillusioned supporters can pin their hopes on when hope seems lost.
With a replacement finally set to be signed for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris then Spurs will obviously offer Kane the captaincy. Not that it will be enough to appease him.
Selling Kane now does not make sense for Spurs who must instead hope they can turn things around and convince him to sign a new contract or risk losing him for free next year.
It is a dilemma but Spurs have to be prepared to take a hit although chairman Daniel Levy did not help last week with his comments about building a statue one day of the player. Instead he has to address his other remark to the Cambridge Union when he admitted Spurs are not “where they need to be”. Once again he is trying Kane’s patience as well as that of the beleaguered fans.
Structure of the club
The Fabio Paratici affair sums up the malaise at Spurs. The Italian has now done the right thing by resigning after his 30-month worldwide ban from football was upheld but not before more damage was done. Daniel Levy wheeled out the managing director of football to deliver a reassuring message (bizarrely shot using an iPhone) after the dismissal of Antonio Conte – only for, less than 24 hours later, Fifa to extend his ban. Spurs were blindsided and it looked like they were not in control.
The club always knew it was possible that Paratici would be banned, from his time at Juventus, when they hired him anyway and have now paid the price in terms of harm done to their own reputation and the way the football side of the club operates. What a monumental error of judgment it has been and not least because it also eventually led to the departure of technical performance director Steve Hitchen whose role was reduced as he was marginalized.
Paratici’s career at Spurs never worked – from the chaotic hiring of managers to the plethora of questionable signings and Levy now has to try and unpick this mess and move forward.
Paratici has also left with Spurs in the same state as he found them if not worse: hunting for a manager and Harry Kane’s future in doubt.
Levy has hired Scott Munn into another new role – that of chief football officer. But it remains to be seen exactly what the remit will be for the Australian who was the chief executive of City Football Group China and takes over on July 1.
He will be in charge of all footballing departments and will effectively be number two to Levy and must decide whether he replaces Paratici which is understood to be likely. However, do Levy and Munn appoint this person first and then a coach, as would normally happen, or vice versa?
Spurs have also tried this structure before when Trevor Birch was brought in as director of football operations. He quit after three months. It appears Munn will have more power but, with Levy, that is always a moot point. As ever with Spurs it goes back to Levy and what he wants.