Thinking that it can’t get worse is the first problem, because if you’re Tottenham this season, it very well can. For a day, they were able to leave behind the relegation race in the Premier League for an entire six minutes before an error from goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 lead that they turned into three goals, playing Spurs off the park at the Metropolitano. It was something that Spurs never recovered from losing the match 5-2. The result is bigger than just the goals; it shows that even their course correction isn’t working.

Two costly errors from Tottenham in back-to-back minutes and Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez make them pay ⚽😬 pic.twitter.com/2v5xAuwEZ7

Manager Igor Tudor responded to going behind early by subbing his young keeper after only 17 minutes in what was his Champions League debut before Tottenham conceded yet another goal when Guglielmo Vicario entered the fray. It’s certainly a decision for Tudor, as while it wasn’t a good start, these are the kinds of subs that keepers struggle to come back from, with the mental side of the game being so important.

“These are not simple mistakes,” CBS Sports’ Peter Schmeichel, a goalkeeping legend for Man United, said on the post-game show. “That’s going to have ramifications for the rest of his career. This will be a moment everybody in football will remember when they hear his name … You’ve got to stick with him, and at least stick until halftime. What he’s done there, for me, he’s absolutely killed his career.”

Vicario earned his time on the bench, struggling in net himself to create uncertainty around the position. These are areas that Tudor was supposed to improve, but that has been anything but the case.

… it’s a critical week for Tottenham and one that could shape what the next few years look like if it doesn’t turn around, but what happened on Tuesday in Madrid doesn’t bode well.