Wednesday night saw Tottenham in Champions League action against Red Star Belgrade.
But the club came into the game amid a backdrop of poor results and apparent acrimony this season.
But as Graeme Souness pointed out on Virgin Media Sport tonight, the downturn has been a long time coming and dates back to at least 2018-19.
"Three years ago, they were knocking on the door of being the team," he said.
Wonderful Opportunity
"The year that Leicester won [the league], they had a wonderful opportunity. You're saying three years ago, this is a team going places.
"You can't say that about them now. If you back to last season, they lost 20 games in all competitions. Top teams do not lose 20 games. Sorry, they don't."
"They're a mystery"
Graeme Souness tackles Tottenham's rapid downturn ahead of the #TOTRSB match @VMSportIE #VMSport #WeFreeSport pic.twitter.com/V6pJcO8XgV
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 6, 2019
While Tottenham got to last season's Champions League final, Souness also feels they had "luck" on their side at times.
"They shouldn't have gotten there. A team that loses 20 games shouldn't be in the final of the biggest cup competition in world football for clubs," he said.
"They're a mystery! Why is Eriksen so bad? Why has Dele Alli not been a player for a couple of years? There are so many question marks against the team now, where two-and-a-half years ago you're saying, 'This is a team that might win this league.'"
"I think they'll get exposed"
Juventus are through to the #ChampionsLeague knockout stages
But @KDKilbane77 sees reasons for concern for Sarri's side @VMSportIE #VMSport #WeFreeSport pic.twitter.com/XpEttIepGJ
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 6, 2019