Are Tottenham Hotspur really in a relegation battle?

Last season’s 17th place finish was meant to be rock bottom for Tottenham Hotspur; a nadir for the club in the Premier League era that was awkwardly offset by glory in the Europa League. There is, however, no glory in what Spurs are going through this season and no guarantee that rock bottom isn’t still around the corner.

Five points are all that separates the team from the bottom three after Tuesday’s defeat to Newcastle, with a home game against league leaders and north London rivals Arsenal coming up on Sunday. Spurs have two wins since the start of November – a run of 17 games. That’s relegation form, and on Wednesday Thomas Frank was sacked after just eight months as head coach.

Of course, there are reasons. Key players have missed significant time through injury and suspension. Tottenham’s Champions League commitments have also clogged the schedule. That European campaign has, strangely, offered signs of hope – Spurs finished fourth in the league stage, in between Barcelona and Liverpool. A round of 16 matchup awaits there in March.

Nevertheless, the reality of Tottenham’s situation is right there to see in the Premier League standings. Using their form of the last 17 games as a guide, Spurs are on course to finish with around 38 points, the same as last season when they stayed up comfortably. Last season, though, Tottenham had three historically bad teams below them to provide a cushion. This season, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are showing significantly more fight.

If it happens, Tottenham’s relegation would be the biggest indignity ever suffered by a Premier League team. Newcastle going down (twice) was a shock, but they didn’t have the ninth-highest revenue in world football like Spurs do. They weren’t playing in the Champions League in the same season. Just because it’s unprecedented, though, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Whoever replaces Frank has a huge task ahead of them.

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Could Cristiano Ronaldo leave the Saudi Pro League?

Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are paying Cristiano Ronaldo roughly $650,000 a day not to play for them. It’s been two weeks since the Portuguese forward last played or trained. Two weeks since he decided the only way to communicate his unhappiness at the way the Saudi club is being run was to go on strike.

According to ESPN and other outlets, that strike is now over, with Ronaldo set to return to the team soon. Still, amid Ronaldo’s sulking and the gossip that he could be allowed to leave Al-Nassr and sign elsewhere, there is an important story unfolding about the changing landscape of Saudi soccer.

The country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns a 75% stake in four of Saudi Arabia’s clubs (Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr), but wants all of them to be under private ownership by 2030. The plan is to use the Saudi Pro League to invigorate the country’s private sector, and there is a sense that prioritisation among the clubs has already started in the way assets are being shifted around.

Karim Benzema’s move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal was an example. As was the fact that Al-Hilal spent over $80m on new signings in January while Al-Nassr had to make do with two free transfers. Al-Nassr are no longer the Saudi Pro League’s marquee club and that says something about the division’s future.

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Is Diego Simeone reaching the end of an era at Atleti?

In the space of just four days last week, Atlético Madrid experienced whiplash. On Thursday, Diego Simeone’s team thumped Real Betis 5-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey. By Sunday, though, Atleti had lost to the same opponents in a match that encapsulated why so many feel this will be Simeone’s final season at the club.

Atleti have repeated the same cycle for years. It starts with Simeone vowing to modernise his approach; a promise his team will adopt a more expansive, exciting style of play. Attack-minded signings are made and a new age is declared, only for Simeone to revert to his default defensive-minded football soon after. Rinse and repeat.

How many times are Atlético Madrid prepared to repeat, though? And perhaps more crucially, how much patience are new owners Apollo willing to show Simeone? These last few seasons have resembled the final phase of Arsène Wenger’s time at Arsenal, when the Frenchman couldn’t keep up with the modern game. Simeone may have reached a similar point in his managerial career.

Now 13 points adrift in the title race, Thursday’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Barcelona is an opportunity for Atleti to prove they can still beat Spain’s best. Simeone has been under pressure before and has found a way to respond. This time, however, feels different.