Igor Tudor garnered a reputation for being an proficient firefighter in Italy, and the 47-year-old must now turn to his scrappers to salvage the current situation in north London.
Tudor hasn't had an immediate impact after replacing Thomas Frank. We've lost back-to-back games under his tutelage, with players not totally committing to an approach that can only be successful with full buy-in.
Plenty within Tottenham's ranks need their egos stripped, because there are far too many who seemingly regard themselves above the current peril. Tudor can ill-afford to count upon those during the dogfight. Fortunately, there are a few at his disposal ready to scrap and claw.
Here are three players who must play a big role for Tottenham down the stretch as they aim to preserve their Premier League status.
1. Richarlison
Tottenham actually have multiple players with experience of such situations, including Pape Matar Sarr at Metz, Dominic Solanke at Bournemouth, and Yves Bissouma at Brighton & Hove Albion. However, none came to the fore quite like Richarlison did for Everton during the latter stages of 2021/22.
The Brazilian departed Goodison Park as a hero that summer, having scored six times in his final nine appearances of the season to keep Frank Lampard's Toffees up. Richarlison found the back of the net in the all-important come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in their penultimate game to confirm safety.
Spurs have got to treat these final ten games like a mini-season. I wouldn't have had Richarlison as my starting center forward entering the current campaign, but he's the man I'm turning to help us out of this mess.
Despite missing a big chunk of 2026 because of a hamstring injury, Richarlison remains our leading Premier League goalscorer. His header at Fulham on Sunday was his eighth of the league season.
Unlike far too many in Spurs' ranks, the Brazilian striker cares. I'm willing to overlook a dodgy first touch and his willingness to go to ground far too easily, because a bit of passion is a valuable currency in our current state.
2. Mathys Tel
Mathys Tel's maturity and attitude have impressed me more than anything since he joined the club on an initial loan deal last January.
The young Frenchman remains raw, but his opportunities have been harshly limited this season. He's perhaps not the generational talent some regarded him to be when he was breaking through at Rennes, but Tel can at least supply the bare minimum in attack.
There's a willingness to try something, and his introduction at Craven Cottage on Sunday ignited a spark. He doesn't seem to fear failure, and Tel is capable of producing a moment out of nothing, as we've seen against Manchester United, Leeds United and Bournemouth this term.
Tudor can't make the same mistake Frank did in overlooking Tel. This kid wants to fight.
3. João Souza
I admittedly don't know all that much about the young Brazilian's mental profile, but his integration is very much necessary to aid Tottenham from a tactical perspective.
Tudor isn't going to have his wing-backs operating inside. They're up and down. As a result, having a right-footer down the left leads to stodgy, stale dynamics in possession. Archie Gray did record an assist on the overlap at the weekend, but utilising either him or Djed Spence on their 'wrong' side is not the answer to Destiny Udogie's absence.
The Italian international should be back soon, and it'll help Tudor massively if he can count on the four best defenders from Ange Postecoglou's reign for the run-in. In the meantime, though, the 47-year-old must entrust January addition Souza, primarily because he's left-footed.
In his cameo appearances thus far, we haven't seen all that much, but the young full back certainly doesn't appear overawed. Crucially, he looks athletic enough to surge forward and get in behind defenses.
Carrying fewer scars than the rest of his teammates, Souza should be starting down the left-hand side until Udogie returns.