'It all feels like too little, too late'

[BBC]

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"Every time I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it's usually been an oncoming train." This was the response from Ange Postecoglou when he was asked about our injury crisis last season.

This season, our football club has well and truly come off the rails and is crashing into the Championship. Yes, injuries have played a significant part again, but we all know the issues run much deeper than the medical department.

As much as Roberto De Zerbi would not have been my preferred candidate to steer us out of the relegation zone, I was hopeful he might galvanise this team in a way his predecessors had failed to.

For a brief moment on Saturday, it seemed as though the Italian and his desperate squad had found the breakthrough. However, like so much of this season, it wasn't enough.

The optimist in me stirred at the signs of improvement; in particular, De Zerbi's high-press revealed there is still energy left in this team and was an important factor in the play that resulted in Xavi Simons' sublime strike.

However, even this glimmer of positivity ultimately left me feeling down, because it also served as a painful reminder of so much wasted time earlier in the season.

If only the board hadn't held on to Thomas Frank for so long when it clearly wasn't working. If only they'd gone for a coach with experience in the Premier League instead of Igor Tudor. If only someone with decision-making responsibilities at this football club actually understood the sport.

I'll do my best to remain hopeful until the final whistle on the last day of the season, but unfortunately it all feels like too little, too late for Tottenham Hotspur.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane and on Instagram