Steve Nicol claims senior Tottenham Hotspur duo are ‘past’ their best

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Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive problems continued over the weekend as they conceded two at relegation-threatened Norwich City.

ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has claimed that Tottenham duo, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are ‘past’ their best, as he also questioned Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez.

Former Reds legend, Nicol also stated that it’s strange that Tottenham have been ‘a lot sharper’ since Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout.

Whilst Spurs have been putting the ball into the back of the net with relative ease under their new boss, they have also been leaking them for fun also.

Speaking to ESPN, Nicol made it clear and warned that if Tottenham don’t ‘sort out’ their backline then they can ‘forget’ about finishing in the Champions League places.

“The strangest thing under Mourinho for me is that Tottenham have been a lot sharper since Pochettino left,” Nicol told ESPN. “And looked a lot better going forward, which is not what you associate with Jose Mourinho sides.

“This Tottenham side at the back are all over the place. Completely changed his backline in the second half [against Norwich] and it still didn’t matter. And unless he sorts that out, you can forget about the top four.

“Although Alderweireld has signed a new contract, I think he is past his best. I certainly believe that Vertonghen is past his best. His contract is running out. Now, if you look at what else they have, you have a right-back in Aurier who is better going forward and another defender in Sanchez, who yes has pace, but I think positionally, he is all over the place.”

Spurs were sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table when Mourinho joined the club, as they are now just outside of the top-four.

There’s no doubt that he has brought the energy and goals back into the Tottenham team, which has seen them climb up the table.

But it seems as though that he is, as of yet, unable to address their defensive issues, as he has tried various players and formations to try and fix the current problems at hand.

There’s no doubt that more time on the training pitch, the January window, and the up and coming winter break is needed for Mourinho’s defensive qualities to shine through this Tottenham side.