Paul Merson has accused Tottenham Hotspur’s players of hiding when things get tough, but does believe they’ll return to winning ways this weekend.
Spurs are preparing for a massive London derby clash with West Ham United on Saturday as the Premier League returns from the October international break.
The two sides are separated by just two points in the table and the pressure on Spurs will be particularly high given the nature of their 3-2 defeat to Brighton two weeks ago; surrendering a 2-0 lead after utterly dominating the first half.
It’s not the first time Spurs have collapsed in such fashion under Ange Postecoglou.
However, during the week, Tottenham great Paul Gascoigne accused the club’s players of disrespecting their Australian manager. And Merson seems to agree with his old England teammate.
“This is a massive football match due to the intense rivalry between the two sides,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “Tottenham looked great for 45 minutes against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break, but they eventually ended up doing what they’re known for during that 3-2 loss. The ‘Spursy’ tag seems to never leave them!
“We saw the same thing happening during the game against Leicester City, now it’s happened again. When they’re 2-0 up and cruising, everything seems great. But as soon as they concede, no one wants to stand up for each other. That’s a worrying trend and a huge problem for Ange Postecoglou.
“Spurs crumble too quickly under pressure. We’re only in October and we’ve seen it happen twice now. They were probably playing their best team against Brighton, I really don’t think there’s a lot wrong with that line-up either. When things are going well, all their players want to get on the ball and do things. But when it’s not, no one seems to want the ball! This is the problem.”
Spurs vs West Ham: Paul Merson prediction
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou gestures toward supporters. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
For all of Merson’s criticisms of Tottenham, he believes the international break came at the perfect time to let them ‘settle down’ from their Brighton defeat.
By contrast, it came at the wrong time for West Ham, who may have felt their 4-1 win over Ipswich could act as a platform for momentum.
All told, Merson is going with a 2-1 win for Spurs this weekend.
“West Ham have not lived up to expectations. When Julen Lopetegui finds his best XI, they will start firing. But I still doubt if he knows that,” Merson explained.
“They got a big win over Ipswich Town last time out and the international break probably came at the wrong time for them. West Ham could be back to where they started now, and with the break giving time for things to settle down at Tottenham, I’m backing Spurs to win.”