Stuart Pearce has picked out weaknesses in Tottenham trio Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies and Dele Alli.
The three players are all recognised as senior members of the Spurs squad and are all regular starters under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, Sky Sports pundit Pearce has doubts over full-back pair Trippier and Davies due to their lack of energy.
The former England international is unsure whether the duo are in the same league as the injured Danny Rose or Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, who left Spurs in the summer.
Pearce also commented on the recent form of playmaker Alli and picked out the flaw that he struggled in tight spaces.
“I think they’re going to miss Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, with Rose injured and Walker at City now,” Pearce told Sky Sports. “While Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies are more than adequate, they’ve not got the same energy as the other two, and I think they need that at home.
“Dele Alli’s form can’t be bob on all the time, you have peaks and troughs in a career, and he’s just going through a tough period at the moment. Teams are giving Spurs more respect, banking up and making it tight, and I don’t think Dele is great at manipulating the ball in tight spaces; he likes to have a bit more room.”
Trippier and Davies both showed their class at the weekend as they starred in Spurs’ 4-0 demolition away to Huddersfield.
The two wing-backs have improved drastically under Pochettino and cemented their position in the starting XI this season.
Alli has suffered a recent dip in form and the England international has even come in for criticism from supporters as a result.
OPINION
Pearce may be doing Trippier and Davies a disservice as the pair would get into most teams in the Premier League. They are both very sound defensively and the Huddersfield clash showed their attacking prowess. Walker and Rose were the best two full-backs in English football when they were both flying fit last season, but Spurs can be very pleased with their replacements. They suit Pochettino’s high intensity system perfectly and it is certainly not a weak area in the side. Meanwhile, Alli’s criticism is slightly more deserved and the player needs to find a way to shine to fulfil his world-class potential. He has now going to be targeted more by defences due to his attacking threat and it is now about finding a way to overcome that.