Tim Sherwood has told Tottenham’s players to ‘take a good look at themselves’, insisting they are to blame for Spurs’ slump rather than manager Mauricio Pochettino.
But the former player and manager is confident Tottenham are still in the running for a top-four spot, despite their dreadful start to the season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men had been tipped to mount a closer challenge to Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race this season, but that has fallen by the wayside.
The north Londoners are without a win in their past five Premier League games and currently sit 14th in the table – 11 points adrift of the top four and worryingly just six points above the bottom three.
Pochettino has come under pressure during his side’s rut, and the club have come under further scrutiny with a number of their key first-team players set to leave for nothing next summer.
But former Spurs player and manager Sherwood insists the team must take more responsibility for their recent performances, while also accusing a number of players of ‘hiding’ during their rough patch.
“I don’t blame the manager, I blame the players,” he said on Monday’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.
“They have to look at themselves and have that bravery when things are not going well to get on the ball in dangerous areas and really take the game to the opposition.
“Because, at the moment, a few of them look like they’re hiding.
“When you have a bad run of form you always look for excuses why, and everyone is pointing to the obvious one, which is the uncertainly amongst the squad.
“Three or four players are out of contract and others are coming quite close to running their contracts down next year. That’s not what Pochettino wants, he wants players who are going to be there for the long-term.
“But, you still need to get the best out of what you’ve got.”
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London rivals West Ham are next up for Spurs, with both clubs in need of a result.
The Hammers sit two places below Tottenham in the table and Sherwood says it’s the perfect time for his former side to get a morale-boosting victory.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash – which will be LIVE on talkSPORT – Sherwood added: “Both teams are having a bad time of it.
“Not many are having a worse time than Tottenham, but fortunately enough West Ham are.
“Tottenham desperately need three points. They need to pick up some form, get their best players on the pitch and hopefully they can play with confidence.
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“It’s so important to make sure you’re in the top four for the Champions League next season, and at the moment they’ve got a uphill task to try to achieve that.
“I still back them to put a run together, I think they’re capable of going ten game unbeaten.
“You wouldn’t suggest that on their current form, but Pochettino has built a good squad of players and they just need to perform.”
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Saturday is GameDay on talkSPORT as we bring you THREE live Premier League commentaries across our network, including West Ham vs Tottenham at 12:30pm