Talking Points

Are Spurs in a relegation battle, really?

According to Wayne Rooney, yes. Speaking on BBC's Wayne Rooney Show: "You'd have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form. West Ham have been in form; Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there. You can't think that they're not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they'll definitely be looking over their shoulders."

What they'll see over the shoulders is Leeds United tied with them on 29 points, Nottingham Forest who've had two wins and two draws in their last five and are just three points behind Spurs, and a resurgent West Ham (four wins out of their last five) only six points behind Spurs in 18th. For a team that have failed to win any of their last seven Premier League games and continues to go through one of the worst injury crises in their storied history (just look at that list above), all that amounts to bad news.

Unlike the Ange Postecoglou debacle last time around, there's at least one team in the relegation zone this season who look more than capable of staying up, and that should cause a flutter of worry amongst Spurs fans.

Newcastle need to reverse their momentum to salvage season

If 29 points in 25 games isn't a good enough showing, 33 in 25 isn't all that much better, is it? Eddie Howe's men have lumbered along all season, still adjusting to the loss of Alexander Isak. To make things worse, they are in the middle of quite a poor run of results that's seen them slide down: they've lost four of the past five matches in all competitions (the other being a 1-1 draw vs PSG) and look incapable of producing a consistent performance across 90 minutes at the moment.

The bright side to it all, though, is that with Bruno Guimarães back to full fitness, they are fully capable of finding some form out of nowhere and going on the sort of run that can close the mere six-point gap to the European spots. For that, they need a reversal of momentum, and as things stand in the league, they won't get a better fixture than this to get that shift going.

Romero's red will hurt Spurs now more than ever

Cristian Romero ended Spurs' hopes of getting anything from Old Trafford with his rash challenge on Casemiro and the resulting red card, but the ramifications are longer term. For one, this leaves a beleaguered squad (one that Romero himself complained about, re: inactivity in the transfer market) a fit player short for four games (three for violent conduct, one for this being his second red), for another, it robs Spurs of their best defender and their leader on the pitch.

For all his proclivity for throwing himself into needless challenges, his passing range from the back often helps set the tempo, his leadership at the back helps them maintain shape and his threat on set-pieces keeps opponents on their toes. At a time when all this was needed the most, he will be missing. For Spurs, that's simply inexcusable.

Guimaraes is key for Newcastle

Here's an unbelievable stat for you: Newcastle United are yet to win a league game without Bruno Guimaraes since he made his debut for the club in 2022.

In the games he missed over the past fortnight, you could see exactly why. Newcastle without their Brazilian midfielder simply seem unable to get things moving. After their tame loss to Aston Villa late in January, Eddie Howe said: "I just thought we missed Bruno's forward thinking. He always wants to pass forward and is always looking for a creative pass. You could see we missed that today. He always wants the ball and he's always demanding the ball from his team-mates. They're massive qualities, and then there's his never-say-die spirit and attitude, too."

He's back now and almost inspired a comeback point against Brentford this past weekend. Him staying fit and firing will be key to any Newcastle plan for resurgence.