Now Ilzer's eleven await

Mockery for crisis club: “Worse than a doctor’s appointment”

The defeat against Everton was a revelation for Richarlison and Tottenham.(Bild: AFP/ APA/Paul ELLIS)

Tottenham Hotspur are still deep in a sporting crisis. After the defeat against Everton on Sunday, they slipped to 15th place. Coach Ange Postecoglou is on the brink of being sacked, the injury worries are growing and the mockery is not long in coming. On Thursday, they have the chance to turn things around against Hoffenheim and coach Christian Ilzer. 

"That was worse than a painful doctor's appointment", was the headline in the English newspaper "The Sun" one day after Tottenham's bitter 3:2 defeat against Everton. The London club, for whom Bayern striker Harry Kane was a reliable goalscorer for a long time, slipped to 15th place as a result. Relegation battle instead of Europe!

Defender Radu Dragusin was also injured. The Romanian thus joins the already well-filled "team hospital". Several key players are currently out. For example, regular goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, veteran Christian Romero and striker Timo Werner.

Ilzer and Hoffenheim as a build-up opponent?
Making excuses about the injury plight is too cheap, however, emphasizes former player Jamie Carragher: "I know there are injuries, but they are so naive. You can't lose that often." So the focus has long been on the coach's chair. Postecoglou's time is probably running out. 

While they are slowly but surely facing the spectre of relegation in the league, things are going better in the Europa League. There, they have a good chance of reaching the next round. The match against another club in crisis could perhaps herald a turnaround. They face Hoffenheim in Germany on Thursday. Ilzer and his team may have won the fateful match against Kiel, but he is still not safe in the coach's chair. A defeat would probably cost his fellow coach Postecoglou his job ...