It was somewhat ironic that on the day Tottenham quietly confirmed that ENIC had marginally increased their grip on the club, a north London derby came along to show just how much more they needed to have done to help Spurs and Ange Postecoglou on the pitch.

On Wednesday, documents were published on Companies House showing a £11.7million statement of capital raised by the allotment of shares. Buried somewhat on Spurs' website, in the investor relations section under shareholder information rather than in any news release, was an explanation of what exactly that meant.

It stated that ENIC have ever so slightly increased their control of the club to an 86.91% share, up from 86.58%, in order "to reflect shares allotted in December 2024 in respect of operational expansion". Of that majority ENIC share of the club, a trust of which Joe Lewis' family are beneficiaries owns 70.12% while chairman Daniel Levy and his family are potential beneficiaries of discretionary trusts which own 29.88% of that share capital.

It was only a marginal increase in their hold on Tottenham - just 0.33% - but on the pitch the divide between ENIC's Spurs and Stan Kroenke's Arsenal is now a huge 19 points in the Premier League and the divide in squad options available to Ange Postecoglou on Wednesday night was equally glaring.

For a month Postecoglou has used the same phrase over and over again in different forms - 'the players need help', 'we need to get them some help' or 'they're doing everything they can but they need help'.

Tottenham moved quickly to sign a goalkeeper this month in Antonin Kinsky, and while the 21-year-old Czech will be a big player for the future that speed needed to be shown with another attacker and a centre-back.

Yet another young signing as much for the future as the now meant that Dominic Solanke aside, the other five signings made for Postecoglou this season have an average age of 18.8.

The Australian might as well be a sixth form teacher with the age range of the players signed for him. The Tottenham head coach has tried to own the signing of youngsters this season and there's no doubting the ability of some to contribute now, but he was never going to be able to realise his immediate dreams with future promises.

For as much as Postecoglou has been making it clear that the players need help and the jaded performances of his normally leading lights Dejan Kulusevski and Solanke made that clear at the Emirates, so does the 59-year-old.

He continues to have to use 18-year-old central midfielder Archie Gray in defence and overplay him alongside Radu Dragusin because there is simply nobody else fit enough to play there. The makeshift defensive partnership are playing every single game every three days and eventually one of them will break. It's a wonder they haven't already.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were both injured on December 8 and Ben Davies three days beforehand. Spurs needed to spring into action quickly but they didn't. Whether that is the fault of technical director Johan Lange in not delivering a new centre-back, Levy and the club's ability to push through a deal or simply the market, it's been a glaring problem that's needed fixing for more than a month.

Spurs needed a centre-back to arrive early in the window but now in the third week of the month, there is likely a growing realisation that the injured players are gradually on their way back and any newcomer would quickly become surplus to requirements. That's all well and good but the damage has already been done through inaction.

'The club is working hard but it's not easy' is an expression used by Postecoglou in recent weeks and a common one heard from most Spurs managers over the years.

The same goes for an attacker in a month when Postecoglou has made it clear on a numerous occasions that it was a priority for him.

Tottenham were interested in Randal Kolo Muani but the versatile PSG forward instead chose to move to Juventus on loan. The Italian giants are an attractive proposition but he also probably looked at Spurs, who could be 14th by end of play on Thursday, and decided against that challenge and the likelihood of ending up injured with the current curse afflicting the club.

In the attacking areas, players are slowly starting to come back in the shape of Richarlison and 17-year-old Mikey Moore but Postecoglou needed help sooner and he's not getting it. His players look drained and unable at the Emirates Stadium to carry out the football that has brought them their wins this season.

Wednesday night's display lacked the fight, energy and bravery of the victory against Liverpool just seven days earlier. If anything it was a pre-Postecoglou display as Tottenham sat too deep, struggled to get out of their own half and did not create enough at the other end.

The ball just did not stick up front. Kulusevski was dispossessed four times and had five unsuccessful touches, Son Heung-min had the ball taken away from him three times and added to that with two ball-losing touches. Solanke, normally the reliable hold-up man, produced three loose touches that saw the ball returned to Arsenal.

The striker could have scored an early goal from a Djed Spence outside of the foot cross but was denied by a terrific tackle from Gabriel when a bit more strength might have done the trick.

The most crucial giveaway came from Yves Bissouma in the build-up to the hosts' second and winning goal. Given the ball by Spence, the experienced midfielder had no idea of where the home players were around him and turned right into trouble.

Arsenal broke up the pitch and got the ball to Leandro Trossard and his shot bounced past Kinsky and the young goalkeeper will feel he should have done better.

Spurs had been dealt some misfortune after managing to find an opening goal with Son's deflected shot from the edge of the Arsenal box. Their hosts were given a corner that never was after it hit Trossard before going off and then a combination of Gabriel and Dragusin headed the ball against Solanke and into the net.

This was not a game about poor officiating though and Postecoglou knew it.

"Well it did [come off Trossard]. It did but I don't want to talk about referees. I have got to take responsibility for my team and I let the referees take responsibility for theirs. It wasn't a corner," he said.

"It's how things are going for us at the moment, but that aside, we weren’t anywhere near the level we needed to be in that first half in such a big game. We have got to understand that what we can control is the first thing we need to focus on."

The Spurs boss told football.london: "Not good enough, especially the first half. Way too passive, allowed Arsenal to take control of the game. Really disappointed with the way we, both with and without the ball, allowed them to dictate the tempo and paid a price for it. The second half was a little bit better but nowhere near good enough."

Postecoglou was proactive in trying to change things, hooking both Bissouma and the ineffective Pape Matar Sarr at half-time.

"It wasn't about regaining control, it was having different intent in our football. It's not who we are, it's not the way I set the team up. It's not the way we want to play, to sit in there and allow Arsenal to play to their tempo. It just wasn't good enough," he told football.london.

Only Richarlison of the three substitutes made any real impact on the game with vice-captain James Maddison and Brennan Johnson contributing little to nothing.

It was another day in which the senior players faded into the background - Son's goal aside - and the 18-year-olds again had to try to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

Gray recovered the ball five times, made seven clearances and four headed ones and despite the Arsenal press had an 88% pass success rate as he used the ball well down the left with Djed Spence (87%). Contrast that with the other side of the defence and Radu Dragusin (77%) and Pedro Porro (78%).

One positive to have come out of the defensive injury crisis is that Gray has already played 25 times this season and if it doesn't break him then it's going to make him a stronger, more well-rounded player at the other end.

He took a knock to the head at one point from an aerial challenge and the referee, after stopping play, and Lucas Bergvall showed some concern. Gray simply shoved the Swede away and made it clear that there was no time to be hurt.

Bergvall was Tottenham's best player on the day, first as a more advanced midfielder and then as the number six when Bissouma was removed.

The youngster made more defensive actions than anyone else on the pitch with 15. He won four of his six tackles, made one interception, two ball recoveries, two blocks, five clearances and one headed one.

Bergvall was constantly bailing out team-mates and trying to make things happen, either through striding up the pitch or picking the right pass. He had a 93% pass success rate but with three passes into the final third - Spence also had four of those and Gray one.

That two teenagers had to take responsibility in a north London derby was not a good look for the club's senior players and it's now absolutely clear that when fresh centre-backs do return or perhaps arrive, Gray should be playing alongside Bergvall in the centre of Tottenham's midfield.

The duo may be young but they're both going to be stars and with the fight, energy and determination to back it up. They have earned their place in the team when others have not.

football.london put it to Postecoglou that while it's difficult to take positives from a derby defeat, perhaps the two teenagers' displays amid the atmosphere was something to cling to. It seemed like perhaps he misheard the question as instead whether the duo should take positives from the game.

"I hope not. I want them disappointed. This can’t be accepted by anyone at the club," he said. "Us losing so many games in a league season is not right. I know we are going through a tough trot and are asking big jobs but I hope they are hurting, the 18-year-olds, as much as anybody else in terms of us not being able to deliver on a big night."

Behind them was another relative youngster in Kinsky, who will have played that Trossard goal over and over in his head last night in his bed. It was tough on the 21-year-old, who had otherwise done well with the Arsenal fans on his back all evening.

He was strong from set pieces - which Spurs were constantly giving away - and the Czech made four punches from Arsenal deliveries into his box. He also made three saves and his distribution was good in the main with 76% of his passes finding their target compared to David Raya's 61%, including 47% of his long kicks compared to the Gunners keeper's 39%

Kinsky did get himself into trouble once, when tackled by Kai Havertz, but made amends by grabbing the ball at the second attempt.

As with Gray and Bergvall, it was an occasion when he didn't shrink and hide and although his inability to stop Trossard's goal was key and he will be the better for it in weeks ahead.

Postecoglou needs results to turn from this Sunday onwards otherwise the context and reasons behind the club's problems will hold less and less sway.

For Tottenham have won just one of their past nine Premier League matches, losing six of them, and only Leicester and Southampton have earned fewer points than the five taken by the north London side during that run.

Spurs have now lost 11 games in the league this campaign which is their joint-most at this stage, along with 1997-98, 2003-04 and 2008-09.

Postecoglou's side needs to make the most of going ahead in matches as well. They have now thrown away 18 points from leading positions in the Premier League this season and only Fulham have lost more with 19.

Sunday's visit to Goodison Park is set to be a key one. Everton have only won once since mid-October and it will take some time and signings for David Moyes to stabilise them but Spurs will need to lift their morale to end their own run and prolong the Toffees'.

"You've got no choice. There's no magic cure. You've got to get up tomorrow, work hard and go into Sunday and prepare to go into battle and turn around our fortunes and our season," said Postecoglou. "There's nothing magical that's going to change it. There's always reasons for all these things to happen. The reality is that our results and our form in the league has been nowhere near good enough. That needs to change."

football.london understands that Postecoglou retains the full backing of those within the club with an understanding of what he's battling through right now. Spurs are believed to be trying to put in the right structures and people around him to ensure that the Australian can succeed and compete for trophies once the squad comes through this period.

This period does not relent though and Tottenham must go to Goodison Park this weekend and turn around their fortunes. Win there and there's every chance it sparks a run of four victories on the bounce with games they should be winning on paper ahead. That would be a momentum shifter ahead of trips to Brentford and Liverpool, but it all starts with Sunday's game.

Win it and the tide can turn. Lose it and the knives will be out for Postecoglou regardless of the mess he is trying to operate within. He needs help, but will it ever arrive?

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