Tim Sherwood makes worrying Spurs claim

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood believes that the club’s hopes of a top four finish this season could be over if they lose to Arsenal.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side take on their fierce rivals at Wembley this afternoon in what could be a vital match in deciding the fate of the top four in the Premier League.

Spurs currently hold a four-point advantage over their North London neighbours with an unthinkable defeat cutting it down to just a single point.

After suffering back to back losses to Burnley and Chelsea, Spurs fans will be concerned that the players do not perform to such low levels as they have done during the recent defeats.

With Spurs still to play Liverpool and Manchester City, Sherwood believes it is crucial that his former side extend the gap to seven points to give themselves breathing space, otherwise it could be catastrophic come the end of the season.

“It’s always a massive game, but this time when you look at where both teams are positioned in the league, it doesn’t get much bigger than this,” he told Friday’s Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT.

“At the beginning of the season if you said Tottenham would finish where they are at the moment, you would say that’s a good season for them.

“Realistically did we think they were title contenders? To be honest I thought they were with the squad they’ve got, but I had Liverpool and Manchester City above them as favourites so you can’t really complain if they fell out of the top-two.

“But to finish outside of the top-four would be a very disappointing season, so it’s in the balance. It’s in their hands.

“This is a huge game. Winning the north London derby almost puts everything back on track and they’ve still got to go to man city and Liverpool, so there are so very tough fixtures coming up for Tottenham.

“I believe they will stay there, but I think they have to win tomorrow to be able to do that.”