Alan Shearer changes his mind on Tottenham relegation after events this week – ‘Awful’
Thomas Frank’s sacking felt inevitable, with Tottenham’s run of results being extremely poor in the Premier League, and Alan Shearer has now changed his mind on the London club.
Spurs’ 2-1 loss to Newcastle United was the final nail in the coffin, and not long after, Frank was sacked by Tottenham.
With the Lilywhites out of the FA Cup, there is plenty of time for the N17 outfit to source a replacement, with the Lewis family now having to decide if they want to instil a permanent or interim manager.
There are certainly risks with both outcomes, and that risk is further boosted by the very real threat of relegation.
Alan Shearer changes his opinion on Tottenham’s chance of relegation
Tottenham finished in 17th last season, but there was never any threat of them going down due to how poor the bottom three were.
The Lilywhites finished a whole 13 points above 18th-place Leicester, but the same will not be said this season.
Already, West Ham, who are currently 17th, are just one point off the Foxes’ tally, and there are still 12 games left to be played.
And with Tottenham only five points off the relegation zone, they will have to be fearful of that chance.
For Shearer, he never felt like Spurs going down could ever happen, but after watching them against his club Newcastle, his mind has been changed.
Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Shearer said: “For large parts of the season, or most of it, I never felt they were in a relegation battle.
“I always thought somehow they would get out of it, but the performance I saw last night, particularly the first half, changed my mind; they were awful.
“Something had to change; it couldn’t go on like that, or else they were in serious danger of being relegated.
“So it was no surprise to me [so see Frank sacked]. You know the rules of a manager: you go in and win games, and if you don’t, you lose your job, unfortunately, and it hasn’t worked for Thomas at Tottenham, and it had to change.”
Tottenham’s chances of relegation are still slim, but not nil, and even just that possibility will concern supporters.
Indeed, as per Opta’s supercomputer on Thursday morning, Spurs now have a 3.84 per cent chance of going down.
They are expected to finish in their current position of 16th, accruing around 44 points come the end of the campaign.
Tottenham’s first half vs Newcastle was night and day to the second half
Shearer is completely correct in his assessment of Tottenham against Newcastle.
The first-half performance was unacceptable, and Spurs were second-best at home to Eddie Howe’s side. In the opening 45 minutes, Frank’s team created just 0.3 xG compared to the Geordies’ 1.81, as per Sofascore.
Additionally, they lost 42 per cent of all their duels, showing that Newcastle were more determined and stronger in individual battles.
The second half saw a slight improvement, and Spurs did notch an equaliser, as they created 1.55 xG. They also battled better, with their duel success being 48 per cent in the second 45.
However, ultimately they were not good enough to win the game, and Newcastle’s winner was perhaps the deserved outcome.
The inconsistent performances in both halves have been a long-running issue this season, and Frank simply had to go.