Ian Wright names two stars who will save Tottenham from relegation | Football | Sport
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Conor Gallagher and Joao Palhinha will prove crucial in keeping Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Spurs find themselves in a favourable position to secure their top-flight survival amid what has been a calamitous season.
Roberto de Zerbi’s side have strung together back-to-back league victories, with a 1-0 win at already relegated Wolves followed by a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa last weekend. Tottenham now occupy 17th place in the Premier League, sitting a point above the relegation zone with just three matches remaining. West Ham United currently hold the final relegation spot and welcome league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon (4:30pm).
A defeat for the Hammers in that fixture would hand Spurs the opportunity to move four points clear of the drop zone, provided they claim all three points at home to Leeds United on Monday (8pm).
Wright offered his verdict on Tottenham’s display at Villa Park when quizzed about the season’s biggest disappointment on the Overlap’s Stick to Football show.
The 62-year-old singled out Spurs, yet is convinced that the performances of Gallagher and Palhinha will be enough to keep them in the division.
He said: “Gallagher and Palhinha were unbelievable. Watching them, unbelievable it was.
“There’s no way they’re going down with those two.”
Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur believes a shift in energy brought about by De Zerbi has been the driving force behind their recent resurgence.
The 28-year-old said: “I think the energy [changed]. When Roberto came in, he tried to change the energy, the mentality, to feel again these positive things. He works a lot on this and I think we change, the players change, we understand also the situation.
“And, you know, now after you’re back to winning games, the energy changed a lot and we feel really good. Yeah, the fans, here in the training centre and now after two wins we feel really good and we want to continue on this roll.”
