Tottenham vs Everton: Spurs’ Premier League status on the line on final day in their biggest game in recent history | Football News

Sunday’s Premier League home match against Everton is Tottenham’s biggest game in recent history.

It is not just about 11 players on the pitch. This is a club and business with hundreds of employees who are worried about their jobs and their futures.

Only one scenario can send Spurs into the Championship on Sunday, and that is if Roberto De Zerbi’s side lose at home to Everton and West Ham beat Leeds at the London Stadium.

Should Tottenham avoid relegation, the home fans will be celebrating – but it will be relief rather than euphoria.

Whatever the result on Sunday, fans will be angry because this has been a disastrous campaign.

A year ago, Spurs were celebrating Europa League glory with more than 220,000 fans at the trophy parade. But ending the club’s 17-year trophy drought was not enough for Ange Postecoglou to keep his job after the club fell to its lowest Premier League finish of 17th.

The message then was that the club needed to compete on all fronts, not just one. Well, it has been only one front this season with the aim on the final day to keep the club in the top flight.

It is clear Tottenham desperately needs a reset – but it needs a reset with the club being in the Premier League.

It is incomprehensible that Spurs should fall into the Championship. This is the ninth richest club in the world, after all.

So, how have we got here this season?

Wrong managers, poor recruitment and a losing culture

Well, this all started in the summer. Postecoglou’s successor, Thomas Frank, was not the right fit for the club. Some players liked him, but others did not take to the Dane.

Ultimately, he outstayed his welcome, and he should have been sacked earlier. The West Ham loss in January was the time for him to go.

Then the injury malaise has deepened with this season’s crisis proving even more catastrophic than the last campaign.

Losing key players such as Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus to injury, combined with the summer loss of club legend and captain Heung-Min Son, was always going to make this season challenging.

Losing regularly has also become an expected outcome with this group of players. Last season, the Europa League was the main focus, with the Premier League taking a back seat as Spurs became the first side in top-flight history to lose 22 games in a 38-game season and not be relegated.

Spurs turning it on in Europe at the expense of their domestic campaign has continued this season. The top-four finish in the Champions League phase table under Frank did not help these players – it created a false confidence because, truthfully, the opponents they were beating were Europa League-level teams.

What the players have had no control over are decisions from the top.

Frank should have been sacked earlier, while the signings have not been good enough.

The lack of substantial business in the January window was alarming. To have only brought in Conor Gallagher as the major winter signing amid a crippling injury list and in a position the club was already well covered in was poor.

Not replacing Brennan Johnson, who was sold for £35m to Crystal Palace, was a big mistake.

So, the January transfer window will be one of major regrets should Tottenham fall into the Championship.

Another will be the misguided appointment of Igor Tudor. The problem with the Croatian was that he came in and told the players they were not good enough. No wonder he only lasted seven games.

De Zerbi has made the desired impact, and I have no doubt that had he taken charge sooner, then Spurs would be 12th or 13th.

Spurs’ safety may have already been secured had it not been for some controversial VAR calls lately that have not gone their way. In fact, the north London club are yet to win a penalty in the Premier League this season.

Nonetheless, officiating is only a minor factor in their plight as they head into the final day in 17th, needing a point to guarantee their safety.

Maddison’s role on defining day for Spurs

Spurs will be looking for a hero on Sunday and it feels set up for Maddison.

He has made a huge impact off the bench in his only two appearances of the season, and, understandably, fans have been asking the question: Can he start against Everton?

What I am led to believe is that he cannot give much more than what he has already given in the past two games after returning from a serious knee injury.

If Tottenham had nothing to play for, we might not even be seeing Maddison play at all right now.

But the situation Spurs are in, they desperately need his quality. He is not only giving a lot as a player, but he is also a real leader and presence off the pitch.

He spoke well after Tuesday’s Chelsea defeat – he just gets it. He was right to be “embarrassed” by Spurs’ struggles.

I expect Maddison to start on the bench on Sunday in what will be a very tense day.

It would not surprise me if both Tottenham and West Ham draw, but I expect the Hammers to take the lead at some point.

And if Tottenham are relegated after a defeat, they have only got themselves to blame.

What will make it even more painful is their north London rivals Arsenal lifting the Premier League trophy on Sunday.

Only four years ago, Spurs beat Arsenal 3-0 to secure fourth under Antonio Conte, but now the two sides could be playing in different divisions next season.