Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Richie Mills

Wed 8 April 2026 8:10, UK

Sean Dyche has outlined his three-point plan for keeping Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League – with the numbers painting a worrying picture.

Dyche was among the bookies’ favourites to succeed Igor Tudor at Tottenham but in the end, the north London team appointed Roberto De Zerbi on a five-year deal.

The former Nottingham Forest manager has since said that Spurs didn’t contact him about the role, despite being linked with the position.

De Zerbi has seven games to keep Tottenham up, with the Europa League holders currently one point and one place ahead of the relegation zone.

Dyche was sacked by Forest earlier this season but he believes Tottenham can stave off relegation from the Premier League if they stick to three key principles.

The numbers don’t lie for Tottenham

Heading into De Zerbi’s first game in charge, an away trip to Sunderland on Sunday, Tottenham have a host of unwanted statistics.

Tottenham have taken just 34 points from their last 40 Premier League games and a mere 13 from their previous 22.

With just two home wins in the league this season, only already-relegated Championship side Sheffield Wednesday have a worse record on their own patch in the English Football League this term.

Tottenham’s last win in the English top-flight was 28 December 2025 and they have failed to win 13 successive league games for the first time since 1935.

According to the Expected Goals numbers, they are are four points below what their actual points tally should be (30 vs 34), they have scored 7.5 goals more than predicted (40 vs 32.5), and they have conceded three goals more than what has been expected (50 vs 47).

So, what does Dyche recommend for Tottenham? When asked what the key ingredient is to Tottenham’s survival, Dyche said on talkSPORT: “For me, they need to be strong, fit, and organised. That keeps you in the Premier League.

“That is what I was trying to get into the group at Forest. Not just talent, not relying just on talent. What’s the framework of the side? What’s the energy? What’s the output? What’s the hard yards? 

“How much of that are you putting in? Because after years of being in the game, if you ain’t got that right, you’re going to find it very, very difficult to stay in the Premier League if you don’t get the framework and the basics right. Strong, fit and organized.”

Can Roberto De Zerbi keep Tottenham up?

Anticipation among Tottenham’s fans is high as they prepare for the last stage of this Premier League relegation fight.

So far, reports suggest the Spurs squad have been left mightily impressed by De Zerbi’s training sessions.

But will the Italian get enough time for his principles to filter through to the players in their seven remaining fixtures?

In this difficult stretch, they face Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa and Chelsea, in addition to Europe-chasing Everton, Sunderland, and Brighton.

Crunch games with lowly Leeds United and Wolves are to come, but if Tottenham want to stay up, they need to start winning pronto.

De Zerbi is a very capable manager but whether he preserves their top-flight status is another matter.