Tottenham is facing the unthinkable: Demotion from the Premier League to a lower league

Tottenham Hotspur, a "Big Six" club, should be contending for trophies. Instead, it might drop out of the Premier League altogether.

Let’s be crystal clear: If Tottenham Hotspur is relegated from the Premier League at the end of this season, dropping it to the second-tier English Football League Championship, it would be the most shocking demotion in history.

The north London club is just one point above the relegation zone with nine games to go. It has lost six games in a row for the first time in its history, and by the time it kicks off at Liverpool on Sunday, it could be in the bottom three of the league.

“Right now, we’re just taking blow after blow after blow,” defender Micky van de Ven told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport this week. “It’s just really tough, and now we also have an important match this weekend that I won’t be able to play in because I’m suspended. It’s a really terrible period, I can tell you that. It’s really, really awful.”

Nobody expected this from Tottenham, a “Big Six” club that should be challenging for trophies and the top of the standings. Instead, it is fighting with the likes of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Wolves to simply remain in the league.

Spurs' most recent match, a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace last Thursday, was a new low. Their magnificent $1.6 billion stadium was basically empty for the second half and most of the home fans chose to walk out rather than watch their team flounder and sink even closer to a quite unbelievable relegation. The close-ups of the fans who did stay in pain, looking away in disgust and consoling one another, were powerful.