Time is running out for Spurs if they are to avoid slipping into the second tier for the first time since their last relegation in 1977.
They came agonisingly close to finally picking up three points against Brighton last weekend but just couldn’t hold on. In fact, they have failed to win any of the last five league matches in which they’ve led.
Their remaining fixtures come against teams currently 20th, 4th, 15th, 8th and 10th in the table and Opta’s supercomputer gives them a 56.9% chance of going down, comfortably higher than that of their rivals West Ham at 38.6% and Nottingham Forest on a lowly 4.3%.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi, without a win himself in his last 12 league matches with both Brighton and Spurs, insists that his side are able to win all five of their remaining games. They have only won seven league matches all season.
History is firmly against De Zerbi’s claim as no side has ever been in the relegation zone with five matches of a Premier League season to play and won them all. The supercomputer also disagrees with him, as in the 10,000 simulations it calculated for the rest of the season Spurs won all five of their games on a mere 23 occasions.
A side in the relegation zone with five games to go has only won four of their last five matches on five occasions and there are only 18 instances of a team winning three of their remaining five. Spurs have it all to do.