Tottenham Hotspur suffered their 11th Premier League defeat of the campaign at the hands of Sheffield United on Thursday, and will hope to make up for the loss with a victory against Everton tonight.
There are just six games left for Spurs this term, and how they fare in them will determine if they will be playing European football next term.
The defeat at Bramall Lane dealt a massive blow on their chances of playing Champions League in 2020-21, and the performance has got Alan Shearer wondering why Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were both on the bench given how defensively inept Tottenham looked at the back.
“They were simply awful in Thursday’s 3-1 defeat by Sheffield United. It has basically ended any lingering hope they had of qualifying for next season’s Champions League,” the former striker told The Sun.
“Defensively, it was the worst performance I’ve seen from them in a long time. There was no organisation and they were outfought for virtually every key ball.
“It made me wonder why Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were on the bench. Those two haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory recently — but they would have surely improved a defence of Serge Aurier, Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies.”
The Belgian duo haven’t started any of Spurs’ three games since the campaign resumed, with Vertonghen coming off the bench to play nine minutes against the Blades.
Dier has taken Alderweireld’s place in the heart of the defence, and while the England international hasn’t been bad, he hasn’t been particularly impressive either.
With their next four games happening within nine days, some rotation is expected at the back, and while Spurs have some depth in the department to cater for their needs, the quality hasn’t been eye-catching for a team/manager that used to pride itself/himself on its/his defensive abilities and strength.
