Tottenham Hotspur under-23 coach makes worrying assessment about his players

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Tottenham coach criticises the lack of creativity among his young stars.

One of the areas Tottenham’s first team has fallen short this season is their inability to break down defences determined to sit deep.

It speak to a lack of creativity, with the team too dependent on Christian Eriksen, and lacking width.

So it will be a little concerning to hear Tottenham’s under-23 coach lambasting his side for the same thing.

After Spurs’ 0-0 draw against Sunderland in midweek, coach Wayne Burnett told the club’s website he was disappointed.

He said: “We’ve got to win. Development is about winning as well – you can’t develop without it. I felt that Sunderland defended very deep with a back five and we didn’t have enough guile at times to break them down. Was it for a lack of effort or work rate? No. A lack of desire? No. Tonight we just didn’t have enough guile and anyone with any individuality to unlock them.”

Tottenham’s academy has been a fantastic asset for them in recent seasons, but it would be useful right now if they had a player tearing it up for the under-23s who could fill the void for the first team.

The player Spurs fans have hopes for is Marcus Edwards, and it should be noted he was absent from Tottenham’s under-23 squad which took on Sunderland.

Meanwhile promising creative talent Josh Onomah is out on loan at Aston Villa.

Despite this the players involved against Sunderland failed to seize their chance, and while this could be put down to an ‘off day’, Spurs’ under-23 side sit sixth in the table, eight points behind runaway leaders Liverpool.