Many of Tottenham's biggest issues were self-diagnosed by Roberto De Zerbi during his first game in charge. Spurs had fallen into the bottom three before travelling to Sunderland and their performance in defeat did nothing to strengthen belief they can climb out of it.
Appointing De Zerbi as one of the highest paid head coaches in the division at this juncture of an already calamitous campaign was a high-stakes gamble. Some might argue that keeping Igor Tudor on would have been riskier still.
But whoever the boss - De Zerbi is Spurs' fourth of the last 12 months - the same problems seem to persist.
Tottenham do not have a style to speak of. Perhaps that was part of the enigmatic Italian's appeal. De Zerbi clearly offers philosophy, a distinctive way of playing, and as evidenced by his time at Brighton, a high ceiling of performance level.
The complication is that this Spurs side in its current configuration is not capable of delivering against De Zerbi's plans. That much was evident at . Nordi Mukiele's heavily-deflected effort was the nail in the coffin of a tepid offering and now the narrative has descended into analysis of increasing relegation probabilities.
What felt like an impossibly shocking consequence of severe underperformance, that had the power to goad but lacked genuine substance, now feels very probable indeed. Their chances of demotion according to Opta, after on Monday, have rocketed to 49.5 per cent. One point from a possible 24 is desperate.
Spurs' 14-match winless Premier League run is their worst since 1935. They are increasingly compelling contenders for the drop. Perhaps, as Jamie Carragher hypothesised on Super Sunday, a more convincing case than those around them given recent form and confidence levels.
De Zerbi explained in his first press conference that he had had little time to implement his tactical ideas to face Sunderland, prioritising "character, the right spirit and the right courage to play". Barring a bright opening 10 minutes, Spurs were devoid of all three.
Something can at least be made of the theory behind De Zerbi's set-up, if not the implementation.
He packed central areas with legs and energy as Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall played ahead of Archie Gray - with sound intention - but in trying to dominate the ball they contrived to lose the battle. There was obvious imbalance.
Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra proved a far more accomplished trio. Xhaka controlled the tempo; his touch count (85) was the highest of any player on the park and he generated a game-high 16 passes into the final third.
Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs actually played more final-third passes (nine) than all three of Tottenham's midfielders.
Out of possession the hosts were far superior, too, winning more tackles, successfully contesting more duels and making a greater number of interceptions. Spurs were able to land seven shots on target but only one of those was deemed a big chance and that was fluffed by Dominic Solanke.
Full-back Pedro Porro was the best hope of open-play threat. That does not reflect well on Spurs' attacking contingent.
De Zerbi is an ideas man but he is chronically short of fit creators. One must therefore question the decision to leave Xavi Simons in reserve on Sunday; the Dutchman was only introduced with six minutes remaining. Is that enough time to impact a game Spurs had trailed since the hour mark?
This six-game gauntlet will be decided by decisions such as that. The situational severity means they must be right, particularly as this final stretch will now be negotiated without the leadership of stricken captain .
Spurs' new custodian will have had two weeks to get to grips with his playing squad by the time former employers Brighton visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening, live on Your Site. He will not have lavish means by which to beat the side he guided to sixth place in 2022/23, but there are tangible improvements to be made.
Basics have to be respected.
Spurs have to start on the front foot to face this crisis head on. The north Londoners are winless in each of their last 32 Premier League games after going behind - only eight of those were draws. They have actually only spent 18.3 per cent of games in winning positions all season, well below the league's average.
It has been nearly four months since they last tasted victory in the league, long enough to have forgotten exactly what that feels like or how it is achieved, but whatever the variables this weekend Tottenham must find a way to win.
They must draw from the well of relegation fear with greater effectiveness, especially in moments of misfortune. Games simply escape Tottenham too easily after they suffer a setback and it was no surprise to see Mukiele's effort that cannoned cruelly off the leg of Micky van de Ven be enough to settle Sunday's scrappy contest.
That is how fragile Spurs are.
No time for despondence, though. Survival scraps do not entertain sentiment. Theoretically this is a team of good players, now it is up to De Zerbi to get them performing with the strength of character to prove it.
