Ange Postecoglou will be confronted with unwanted history on Thursday.
Nedereer at Chelsea, Live on Sky Sports, would see him the first Tottenham boss who loses his first four league matches against the blues.
It would be another harmful statistics for the oppressed Australian.
The 2-0 loss in Fulham before the international break Tottenham saw falling to a 15th league defeat of the Hun joint season in this phase of a Premier League campaign (29 games). It leaves them 14th in the table and in danger to their lowest Premier League finish (15th in 1994).
“Ange is now holding on to his work,” ex-spurs midfielder Jamie O'hara told Sky Sports News after the defeat of Fulham.
A day after the loss in Craven Cottage, a report in the Daily Telegraph claimed that Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola and Fulham's Marco Silva belong to the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou if Spurs decides to apply a management change in the summer.
The next day ex-spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino Sky Sports News that he wants to come back “a day” to the club and has a “very good relationship” with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
The warning lights have never been so brighter for Postecoglou. So is his only solution to win the Europa League and to win the 17-year-old trophy drought from Spurs?
“I think it's, really,” said O'hara. “Tottenham fans fascinate the park [at Fulham]. If you take a European League out, if you look at the Premier League table and you look at the designs and the output of the players, it's not good enough.
“[Postecoglou] Now runs on the Europa League. All eggs are in that basket. If we are switched off, he will lose his job. “
Poor London Derby record and lack of threat of the first half
Before that Crunch Europa League quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt, Postecoglou has the chance to not only tackle his first points against Chelsea, but to improve the miserable London Derby record of Spurs this season.
No side has earned this period fewer points in Premier League London Derbies than Tottenham, who have lost this campaign of five such matches (W3 D1).
Stamford Bridge is a cemetery for Spurs – and that turned out to be for Postecoglou last season.
A weak 2-0 defeat in West London saw him disasters at his players on the touchline in an explosive anger (look below) because the visitors had no shot in the first half.
Almost a year later there is a lack of threat of the first half of the goal.
No shot at the goal in the opening for 45 minutes in Fulham meant that it was the ninth time that Spurs had not registered a shot on goal in the first half of a Premier League match under Postecoglou, which is more than Spurs' last two permanent managers – Antonio Conte (2).
The fairly flowing 'angeball' that surprised Spurs fans at the start of the office of Postecoglou was thrown away.
“I don't really understand the honor that Ange has received on the couch, I really don't do that,” said O'hara. “This is intended as a football team and a football club that tries to get Champions League football, and one of the most profitable clubs in the world.
“I got it when Ange Postecoglou came in. We had 10 games unbeaten, top of the competition and we had this exciting football and everyone loved it. Well, I haven't seen that since then.”
Chelsea Architects of Ange's struggles
It was in fact the opponents of Thursday Chelsea, who were the team to activate the decline of Spurs in Premier League form.
The 4-1 victory of the Blues in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season in a chaotic Monday Night Football (the Premier League classic again inflicted again) has inflicted a first competition defeat for Postecoglou.
It also led to a seemingly endless injury and suspension list that Postecoglou has hindered enormously.
Nevertheless, Spurs, of that notorious defeat against Chelsea, have more competitions (27) than victories (22). And, as illustrated in the table below, only four always present Premier League clubs have taken fewer points than traces from that moment.
Their road shape has also been alarming. Only relegation-threatened parties Leicester (10) and Southampton (12) have lost more Premier League matches this season than Tottenham (8).
“Since we lost to Chelsea we have just been exposed and have discovered teams Spurs,” said O'hara.
“I think the problem he has had is that managers in the Premier League are top managers. Players are top players, they will adapt and they will find out how they can beat you.
“The first 10 games were a bit of an unknown amount with Tottenham because you didn't know what you would get from Ange Postecoglou.
“But since then teams and players have discovered you, and since then Tottenham has not had plan B.
“Yes, they have had injuries, but I think we are still trying to believe that we can be that team from those first 10 games that Ange had.
“It was really shocking for 18 months.”
But with an almost fit squadron at his disposal and the hope of winning silverware still firmly alive, Postecoglou now has the chance to recapture that magic of his first two months in charge.
A first victory over Chelsea would be a much needed step in the right direction for the 59-year-old in a definition of two months ahead.
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