Struggling Tottenham Confront Past European Nightmares in Showdown with Atletico

Tottenham are set to face a harsh echo of their steep fall when the club battling to avoid relegation meets Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday.

Sitting in 16th position in the Premier League, Tottenham remain only one point clear of the drop zone following Thursdays chaotic 3-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace.

The north London outfit face a serious risk of dropping to the second division for the first time since the 1977-78 season, having shipped two or more goals in nine straight league fixtures for the first time ever.

They have now dropped five league matches in a row and gone 11 top-flight games without a victory, a run not seen since 1975.

Amid this worrying situation, Igor Tudors team would relish the chance to soften the blow of their league woes with a positive result versus Atletico in the Champions League last-16 opener.

However, the journey to Madrid will highlight for angry supporters exactly how much their team has slipped since their previous visit to the Metropolitano seven years back.

During Tottenhams run to the 2019 Champions League final, Mauricio Pochettinos squad, including stars like Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris, was viewed as a rising contender.

Yet they fell 2-0 to Liverpool in the decider after putting in a lacklustre showing.

Just five months later, Pochettino got the boot, kicking off a gradual downturn that might culminate in the embarrassment of the drop.

Beyond the unwelcome flashbacks triggered by revisiting the Metropolitano, the matchup with Atletico underscores the reasons Tottenham earn the label of English footballs perennial chokers.

Back in 1963, they crushed Atletico 5-1 in the European Cup Winners Cup final, marking the debut European honour for a British team, only two years on from claiming both the English league and FA Cup in one remarkable campaign.

Such commanding success has eluded Tottenham supporters for the years that followed.

Players must step up

Daniel Levy, who chaired Tottenham for almost 25 years before his unexpected exit in September, frequently shouldered the criticism for the clubs difficulties.

But the issues persisting after Levys departure have shifted attention to the revamped leadership at Tottenham, headed by sporting director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham.

Huge spending on a cutting-edge stadium and top-notch training facilities lends Tottenham the look of a continental heavyweight.

Still, the chaos engulfing the club over the past 18 months truly reveals their reduced standing.

Even securing the Europa League title last term to break a 17-year wait for silverware failed to shake off the aura of disappointment surrounding the club.

Ange Postecoglou lost his job shortly after that Europa triumph owing to Tottenhams poor league showing, which saw them end up 17th, their worst top-flight position since 1977.

Postecoglous gung-ho style was a key factor in his downfall, though swapping the engaging Australian for the more measured Thomas Frank proved a catastrophic choice.

Frank earned praise for his shrewd work on a shoestring at Brentford, but the Danish managers gloomy approach soon turned off both supporters and squad members.

Tottenham proudly proclaim their motto to dare is to do, but under Frank they erred on the side of excessive safety.

The board at Tottenham needed under eight months to spot the error in their ways.

Frank was dismissed on February 11, yet stand-in manager Tudor has struggled to ignite a turnaround, with Tottenham losing his opening three outings.

Tottenham have spent just one season below the top tier since 1950.

With nine fixtures remaining to secure safety, anxiety is mounting within Tudors squad hampered by injuries.

Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke disclosed that Tudor and the players discussed matters right after the Palace encounter.

"We have talked it over among ourselves and we must grasp that improvement is essential right away," he stated.

"We clearly have to acknowledge our current spot. It falls to us players to own this.

"We must ensure that in the next match we are fully focused and figure out ways to reverse this slump."