IS Tottenham really in a relegation battle?
Most would say there's no chance, even with the league's horrific recent run, but think about this.
In 1977 – the last time Spurs went down, finishing bottom of the old First Division – they lost exactly half of their 42 games.
Tottenham have been beaten in 11 of their 21 league matches this season, which is a slightly worse ratio.
Their current points per match average stands at 1.14, which puts them on course for 43 points for the campaign.
In the 2008/09 season, the team under Juande Ramos only managed 20 points after 21 games.
They dropped to 19th before the manager was sacked and replaced by Harry Redknapp.
These are just some of the absolutely damning statistics that Spurs fans have been poring over all morning after their latest defeat in Wednesday's North London derby.
And that is why many have called for manager Ange Postecoglou to be sacked, with Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit even urging Daniel Levy to sack the Australian.
The controversial Postecoglou regularly reiterates the need for context in everything and has, with some justification, pointed to a crippling number of injuries, especially at the back.
But no matter how you look at it, there is no disguising how ugly the league numbers are at the moment.
For Spurs fans, this will read like a particularly painful maths lesson, but pay attention, because this is important.
Since the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City on November 23 – the standout result of Postecoglou's tenure – his side have registered just one win in nine league matches.
Never before have Spurs lost more games in the Premier League at this stage of the season.
Ipswich, who inflicted one of the most painful defeats on Postecoglou's side just before the City summit, highlighted their inconsistency, being only above the drop zone on goal difference but having lost one game fewer than Tottenham.
In fact, only Wolves, Leicester and Southampton – the bottom three – have suffered more defeats than Postecoglou's side this season.
The gap to the dreaded dotted line is eight points, so the unthinkable prospect of dropping back to the Championship doesn't seem like a real fear at the moment.
But what is undoubtedly true is that Postecoglou's team is showing relegation form.
It's just five points out of the last 27 points available. Worse, it's 30 of the last 84, signaling a malaise in the league that predates the crisis.
Missing Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario and more, the selection is undoubtedly seriously lacking.
But injuries are hitting most sides now – Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, ten points above Spurs, have just lost their two centre-forwards – and Postecoglou knows if he uses that as an excuse it will fall on deaf ears.
The 59-year-old, who finished fifth in his first season, has argued that most of his side's losses this season have come down to the odd goal and are down to bad 'moments'.
But if the themes recur, the manager must take some of the blame.
Like Spurs conceding a goal against Arsenal for the FOURTH time since the Aussie took the lead with the Gunners' equalizer on Wednesday, even though the set-piece should never have been awarded.
Postecoglou hasn't deviated from his attacking philosophy, even if he didn't have the personnel to execute it, and that could end up costing him.
Fraser Forster was never cut out to play from the back, as Postecoglou demands.
And while the ambidextrous Antonin Kinsky is here now, the losses when Forster was still on the team have taken their toll.
His midfield was too often too easy to play through and Spurs were fortunate not to be punished further by a wasteful Arsenal when he picked out three number 10s, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, in the second half at the Emirates for a middle trio.
Shooting icon Petit eviscerated Postecoglou in his post-match analysis for talkSPORT.
The World Cup winner said: “When I look at this team, I have no idea what they want to do on the pitch, what kind of system, what kind of movements, even the commitment and behavior of the players.
“If you look at the quality individually and collectively in this team, something is broken.
“They have lost so many games, they are sinking in the table and are not far from the relegation zone.
“We are talking about a team that should be playing for the top position in the Premier League.
“Something is broken in this team and you can't sack all the players so you have to make the easiest decision and that is to sack the manager.
“I don't like to say that and I feel sorry for Postecoglou, but he deserves to be fired because they are going down game after game, so change something.”
It would be a safe bet to say that Postecoglou's future hinges on four days in early February, provided he makes it that far.
They have Liverpool away in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, where they have a 1-0 lead, and then away Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
This season is all about the cup competitions and Europe, which could be Postecoglou's salvation.
Provided they don't actually get sucked into a drop zone dogfight, with a 'six-pointer' at Everton next.
Postecoglou, a treble winner at Celtic, has said success at Spurs will be all the sweeter given what they have had to endure this season.
But some supporters already think things have become too sour.
It remains to be seen whether that is, or soon will be, the view of Levy, who has thus far supported his man.
The Spurs supremo has proven himself to be a shrewd businessman by turning Spurs into a colossus with a world-class stadium, even if they still lack silverware.
He will know that numbers are not good for Postecoglou at the moment.
In the 2016-2017 season, their last at White Hart Lane, Spurs took 53 points at home alone.
That's ten more than they are on course to win in this entire sorry league season.
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