Sky Sports pundit Tony Cascarino has claimed Tottenham have “fallen off a cliff'” in recent weeks and singled out Dele Alli for not pulling his weight.
Spurs were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester City last weekend as they lost more ground in the race for the Champions League spots.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men came into this season as title contenders, but now face a fight to make the top four, currently lying in seventh place and a monumental 21 points behind runaway leaders City..
They face sixth-placed Burnley on Saturday and ex-striker Cascarino urged Tottenham to give the physical hosts a run for their money at Turf Moor.
In a column for The Times, Cascarino said: “They have fallen off a cliff. Getting beaten 4-1 by Manchester City will have hurt. Mauricio Pochettino has to select a team that will stand up to Burnley.
“Tottenham look like also-rans who are ill-disciplined when they don’t get their way. Dele Alli was a world-beater against Real Madrid, but hasn’t got close to that since.”
OPINION
Cascarino is right in saying Alli is not pulling his weight. It is clearly backed up by statistics and analysis of the midfielder’s performances this season. Even Pochettino admits that the 21-year-old is nowhere near the level of the second half of last season, when he took the title race by the scruff of the neck and looked one of the outstanding young players in the world. The manager has continued to select the England international in his starting XI, but there will come a time soon when he will need to axe him for a sustained spell if the player does not get back to his best.