Juande Ramos’s iron fist is already making a considerable impact at Tottenham Hotspur as the head coach refused last night to offer any support to Paul Robinson and Jermain Defoe after leaving them on the bench. The England goalkeeper fears that he has played his last game for the club after being dropped for the first time in Ramos’s 17-match reign and Defoe’s future looks equally bleak after he missed an excellent chance to win the match only days after being told that he could leave.

Robinson’s professional world has imploded in the past couple of months, this latest setback coming two months after he was dropped by Steve McClaren, the England head coach at the time, for the decisive European Championship qualifying match against Croatia.

The 28-year-old does not take criticism kindly and will not have been encouraged by Ramos’s refusal to state whether he would return to face Chelsea on Saturday, which appears inconceivable. Given his international ambitions, Robinson will consider his position carefully over the coming days and may seek a move to a Barclays Premier League club in need of an experienced goalkeeper, such as Manchester City.

“All players are to be considered and I choose who I think is best for each match,” Ramos said. “There’s a long time from here to Saturday and we haven’t thought about it yet.” His verdict was even more damning on Defoe, who made little impression and blasted over the bar from six yards in the seven minutes that he was on the pitch. “He’s to all intents and purposes a Tottenham player,” Ramos said.

Arsenal also have problems, despite forcing their way back into a match that Tottenham had dominated, with Robin van Persie (thigh), Johan Djourou (groin), Philippe Senderos (knee) and Theo Walcott (ankle) picking up injuries. Having just returned from a knee problem, Van Persie’s injury is the most worrying but Arsène Wenger will be more concerned with a defensive injury crisis before Saturday’s visit of Birmingham City.

Kolo Touré and Alexander Song are at the African Cup of Nations, leaving William Gallas as the only fit centre back and Wenger said: “We lost six players in two days, which is a big problem for us. I could always play myself there.”

Wenger insisted that Jens Lehmann had not agreed personal terms with Borussia Dortmund despite the German club’s claim to the contrary.