Sebastien Bassong cautions Tottenham Hotspur that their relegation battle remains precarious despite recent victories over Wolves and Aston Villa. The former Spurs defender, who endured three relegations during his career, stresses the need for unwavering focus.
Bassong’s Relegation Expertise
The 39-year-old Frenchman experienced the drop with Newcastle in 2009, twice at Norwich City, and once on loan at Wolves. Tottenham currently sit just one point above the Premier League’s bottom three. A win against Leeds United at home on Monday could extend that buffer to four points, especially after West Ham’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Bassong insists complacency poses the greatest risk. “The nightmare is not over,” he stated. “When you think you’re not in danger, that’s when you are! You cannot breathe because the moment you start breathing is when you might be vulnerable.”
He compared the situation to the fragile moments after scoring a goal. “It’s like when you score a goal, the next five minutes you’re at your most vulnerable. You’ve got to keep your emotions in check. Spurs are not out of it yet—they must not take their foot off the gas!”
From Champions League Glory to Survival Fight
Bassong played for Tottenham from 2009 to 2012 after joining from relegated Newcastle. During his tenure, the club qualified for the Champions League for the first time, competed in Europe’s top competition, and vied for top-four Premier League finishes.
The centre-back expresses disbelief at Tottenham’s decline, following a 17th-place finish last season with another tough campaign. “It hurts,” he said. “We qualified for the Champions League for the first time, now they’re fighting to avoid relegation. It’s just so different, complete opposite ends of the spectrum.”
“It makes me feel sad. You keep asking yourself, what’s going on? Surely you can’t find yourself in that situation two seasons in a row if everything has been right.”
Player Selection and Decision-Making Issues
Bassong points to deeper problems in recruitment and performance. “Players have to be chosen in the right manner. It’s deeper than just taking a player for his talent. The players that have come in maybe weren’t matching the Spurs DNA.”
He holds scouts and decision-makers accountable but emphasizes players’ responsibility on the pitch. “When some of them do play, maybe they don’t have what it takes. The decision-making aspect is something that has been lacking over the years.”
“It’s a wake-up call. It’s a shock and it goes way beyond just football. The impact would be huge if they went down—and that has what’s really saddening me.”
De Zerbi’s Positive Impact
Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham’s third manager this season after the dismissals of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, took charge in March. The Italian has earned seven points from his first four matches, including a standout 2-1 victory at Aston Villa—arguably the team’s best display of the season.
Tottenham snapped a 15-game Premier League winless streak with the Wolves triumph under De Zerbi. Bassong credits the manager with revitalizing the squad through personal connections. “He’s so close with players naturally and when he commits, he’s going to give his all.”
“That’s what the players were needing because they weren’t bad players, they just needed this human connection. Somebody that could, in a split second, make them believe again that they’re worth something.”
Bassong describes De Zerbi as offering essential support. “You need TLC, love and affection and De Zerbi has got that in abundance, sometimes even too much. They’re a good match. He’s a good shepherd that can really go to them and say ‘listen guys, I’ve got you’—and the same player that couldn’t even kick a ball can start to look a million dollars again. You can see within their eyes, with their body language, there’s something different.”
