'can't Blame Kinsky For Drowning Without Knowing How To Swim'

Many people go on holiday to escape the mundane. They set off in search of sun to lift their spirits or a change of scenery to provide inspiration. You pack your bags and leave your troubles behind for a few days.

But this is Tottenham. That's not how things work in these parts. Spurs landed in Madrid and walked straight into a hotel jam-packed with the failings, curses, and ineptitude that have haunted their season so far.

Never has a Champions League knockout tie experienced such a slapstick opening 45 minutes. Tottenham slipped, gaffed, and tumbled their way to a 4-0 deficit. Antonin Kinsky will bear much of the blame, but you can't blame a person for drowning when they are chucked into the deep end without knowing how to swim.

He wasn't the only one all at sea. Across the pitch, Tottenham were falling over themselves to gift Atletico Madrid the easiest of nights. It was only after Spurs hit rock bottom at 4-0 that they finally stood up and offered some resistance. Yet somehow, no matter how farcical those first 45 minutes were, it was still some of the best football Spurs have mustered this calendar year - a grim marker of how far we've fallen. An hour's worth of competence now feels like progress.

This season, the Champions League has offered us a bit of a retreat from the disasters of the Premier League. We cruised through the group stage with the occasional touch of swagger and competence, but it seems unlikely we'll enjoy this tranquility for much longer. The real business of survival now takes center stage. But with a boardroom bereft of ideas, a manager bereft of charisma, and a squad bereft of confidence, what chance do we have?

Spurs need a miracle to save not only their Champions League status, but their Premier League one as well.

Find more from Bardi at The Extra Inch - a Spurs podcast