Spurs spiralling out of control as off-field woes are matched on it

TOTTENHAM’S defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday was surely the nadir of their joyless season, an afternoon when supporters’ frustration manifested in shameful abuse of Davinson Sanchez and the pressure increased on the club’s hapless ownership and acting boss Cristian Stellini.

- Dan Kilpatrick

The defeat left Spurs’ top-four hopes in jeopardy ahead of consecutive six-pointers against Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool, and raises the question of whether they can continue to muddle through to the end of the season with the status quo.

After three matches of Stellini’s proposed 10-game interregnum, his tenure has already soured. Next week’s triple-header is a chance to transform the mood but, given the way Spurs are playing, the situation could easily become toxic, perhaps unsustainably so.

Conte’s former assistant has changed next to nothing about his former boss’s approach, frustrating fans, and his decisions, including the introduction of substitute Sanchez on Saturday, have largely been ineffective and costly.