Mick McCarthy has made an interesting claim about Tottenham’s quest for Premier League survival, and has explained why we should not be writing off Roberto De Zerbi’s men just yet.
While talk of Tottenham potentially being in danger of being relegated may have sounded a bit hyperbolic to some until a month or two ago, it is now far more than just a distinct possibility.
In fact, Opta’s Supercomputer now puts Spurs’ likelihood of relegation at almost 50 per cent after the latest round of results.
The Lilywhites are now in the drop zone, two points adrift of West Ham in 17th and are still without a league win this calendar year.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 62 | 24 | 38 | 70 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 31 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 63 | 28 | 35 | 64 |
| 3 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 57 | 45 | 12 | 55 |
| 4 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 43 | 38 | 5 | 55 |
| 5 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 32 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 52 | 42 | 10 | 52 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 53 | 41 | 12 | 48 |
| 7 |  BrentfordBrentford | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 48 | 44 | 4 | 47 |
| 8 |  EvertonEverton | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 39 | 37 | 2 | 47 |
| 9 |  BrightonBrighton | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 43 | 37 | 6 | 46 |
| 10 |  SunderlandSunderland | 32 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 33 | 36 | -3 | 46 |
| 11 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 32 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 45 |
| 12 |  FulhamFulham | 32 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 46 | -3 | 44 |
| 13 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 35 | 36 | -1 | 42 |
| 14 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 45 | 47 | -2 | 42 |
| 15 |  LeedsLeeds | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 39 | 49 | -10 | 36 |
| 16 |  Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 32 | 44 | -12 | 33 |
| 17 |  West HamWest Ham | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 40 | 57 | -17 | 32 |
| 18 |  TottenhamTottenham | 32 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 30 |
| 19 |  BurnleyBurnley | 32 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 33 | 63 | -30 | 20 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 32 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 58 | -34 | 17 |
Mick McCarthy claims dropping into the bottom three may be good for Tottenham
Former Premier League boss Mick McCarthy, who has navigated his way through several relegation battles, believes that dropping into the relegation zone may not be a bad thing for Spurs at this stage of the season.
He suggested that there would be a psychological shift among the Spurs players, who will now be solely focused on catching West Ham heading into the final six games of the season.
The former Wolves boss said on The Managers YouTube channel: “You’re fourth bottom and forever all you’re doing, well, not all, but your concern is the one behind you, because only one can catch you.
“Suddenly, you go to third-bottom, and it creates more of a desire. You think, hold on a minute, we’re in relegation here; yeah, we can catch them.’
“It’s a bonkers mentality that suddenly gives you a more positive outlook being in the bottom three, because you’re just looking upwards and trying to overtake the ones above you.
“It really is an unbelievable difference in mentality that, unless you’ve been there, I know you’ve been there, I’ve been there, you can’t express it.”
Roberto De Zerbi remains optimistic despite relegation threat
Tottenham still have 18 points to play for this season, and their new boss is not picking despite seeing his side fall into the bottom three.
De Zerbi insisted that his side showed plenty of positives against Sunderland, praising the mentality of his players, especially in the first half.
The Spurs boss believes that one win is all his side needs to change the mood around the camp and to climb out of the position they find themselves in at the moment.