Tottenham Hotspur's players have been questioned by former Arsenal legend Alan Smith for their mentality and ability to fold easily after squandering a healthy 2-0 lead against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon to lose 3-2 on the south coast.
Brennan Johnson and James Maddison had fired Tottenham ahead in what looked to be a continuation of their strong form in recent weeks, in what was a dominating first-half for Ange Postecoglou's men - but an 18-minute collapse against the Seagulls saw Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck all get their names on the scoresheet to turn the game around, in which Tottenham couldn't respond to record their third loss in the Premier League this season. And Smith has taken aim at their stars for chucking the game away, branding them as 'losing their heads and resilience' in a result that sees them sit ninth in the top-flight standings.
Smith: Tottenham 'Lost Their Heads' Against Brighton
The London outfit threw the game away under seemingly no pressure
Speaking live on Sky Sports, Smith slated Rodrigo Bentancur for not doing enough to prevent a cross, before stating that Tottenham had 'lost their heads' in their battle to claw the game back and secure all three points after a solid start on the south coast. The former Arsenal star said, via BBC Sport:
"How Rutter wiggled away from three players on the right-hand side of the box is beyond me. He had no right to keep going. Bentancur does nowhere near enough, and Danny Welbeck cannot believe the space. He cannot believe he got a free header... Unbelievable!
"Who would have seen this at half time? Tottenham have lost their heads, they've certainly lost their resilience."
Tottenham Continue to Throw Away Points
That is already five dropped from winning positions this season
It's not the first time Tottenham have lacked bottle in a big game under Postecoglou. Drawing 1-1 vs Newcastle United earlier in the season, Tottenham were dominating but conceded a cheap goal to lose 2-1 on Tyneside, whilst a similar scenario happened vs Leicester City - although they were able to hold onto a draw against the Foxes.
Last season saw similar results; they were leading Chelsea 1-0 at home before two red cards at home saw the Blues eventually prevail with a 4-1 win in north London, and just five days later they blew a 1-0 lead in stoppage time against Wolverhampton Wanderers to lose 2-1.
A similar collapse vs West Ham United just three weeks later proved that there needs to be an added backbone to their squad - though that will likely come with experience. Defensively, their first-choice side includes a backline of 25-year-old right-back Pedro Porro, two centre-backs who are aged just 26 and 23 in Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and a left-back who is only 21 years old in Destiny Udogie.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Tottenham have already thrown away five points from winning positions in the Premier League - though that tally was 20 last season.
As a result, the experience is naturally not going to be there in a young back line. If they can iron out those mistakes going forward, Tottenham could have the formula for a winning side in the future - but for now, they need to work on seeing games out with only Fraser Forster, Ben Davies and Son Heung-min over the age of 30 and offering any sort of nous.