Michael Dawson has given a stark warning to the Tottenham players as the club are staring at the prospect of being relegated.
Igor Tudor is coming under plenty of criticism after presiding over three defeats and taking Tottenham closer to the Premier League relegation zone.
There is just a point now separating Spurs from 18th-place West Ham, and calls are growing for Tottenham to take drastic action and sack Tudor.
According to reports, the Lilywhites are considering all options regarding the Croatian coach’s future, although he is expected to remain in charge for the next couple of games.
Tottenham players warned no one is coming to save them
Dawson, who was one of the best leaders Spurs have had in Premier League history, has now suggested that the onus is now on the players rather than the manager.
He called for big characters at Tottenham to step up and show belief rather than relying on the manager’s tactics to get them out of trouble.
The former Spurs captain told Sky Sports Soccer Saturday: “He [Tudor] comes out after and says, ‘I want to take players who are on the boat going in one direction’. There’s one direction this boat’s going and that’s sinking. It’s worrying because managers can come in and talk about tactics, forget that, forget tactics, they’ve gone out the window.
“It’s about trying to find some belief. I look at the players, it’s desperation at times. You see the decision from Micky van de Ven. When they get fortunate to be leading the game, I think, the goal disallowed is very unfortunate for Crystal Palace’s point of view, but Archie [Gray] actually does great down the right-hand side, pulls it back to Solanke, great.
“They’ve had a lifeline, they’re 1-0 up. Then, within a blink of an eye, a penalty’s being given, Micky van de Ven pulls Ismail Sarr down and now everything’s gone out the window. The clouds are coming in, the pressure’s on, you can feel it in the stadium.
“The players are looking around thinking, ‘can someone help me?’ No, there’s no one there to help. You look at each other, only we can get us out of this trouble and that is where they’re at at this moment in time.”
Do the Spurs players have the stomach for a fight?
Reports indicate that Europe’s elite clubs are already circling over some of Tottenham’s biggest stars, ready to pounce on them if the Lilywhites go down.
In fact, it has already been suggested by one outlet that Micky van de Ven has already had his head turned by Real Madrid and Barcelona.
If the team’s biggest stars are already thinking about getting out of the club in the summer, the worry is that they may not be as desperate to scrap for every point as the Nottingham Forest or West Ham players.