Tottenham’s biggest players have gone missing, set-pieces are a disaster and Ange Postecoglou has NO plan B… FIVE reasons why Spurs’ season has fallen apart ahead of tough trip to Liverpool

At the start of the season, everything seemed to be on the right track for Tottenham, with newly appointed Ange Postecoglou guiding his side to eight wins in ten games as they enjoyed an unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

There was talk that Tottenham could win their first league title since 1961, but such discussions are now a distant memory with Postecoglou’s team currently in the midst of a miserable run of form as the season nears its end.

While it is still mathematically possible, securing Champions League qualification looks like a tall order for Tottenham, who have lost their last three games, including defeats to rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.

Belief seems to have faded away at Tottenham in recent games and Postecoglou will do everything he can to ensure that the problems do not arise again next season.

Mail Sport assesses why Tottenham have struggled recently.

Battle through set pieces

Defending set pieces has proven to be a major problem for Postecoglou’s team, especially since December, and they have conceded 22 goals in such situations in the Premier League this season.

Postecoglou has claimed that he is not particularly concerned about the issue, saying: ‘I am not interested. Never been. Not in the least.

‘It’s not the first time I’ve been questioned about spelling mistakes in my coaching career. There is an underlying reason for this, which I feel very comfortable with.’

Tottenham were again vulnerable from set pieces in their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea and there are few signs of the situation improving any time soon. Trevoh Chalobah put Chelsea ahead with a header from a free-kick before Nicolas Jackson made it 2-0 when he found the net after Cole Palmer’s free-kick hit the crossbar.

Now that teams are fully aware that this is a vulnerable area for Tottenham, they will look to exploit this as much as possible.

Too often, player positioning at set pieces has been ineffective and has given the opposition space to run into. It is an alarming situation that needs to be addressed, but it does not look like the situation will change any time soon.

Lack of quality depth

There are undoubtedly some talented players in the Tottenham team, but there are also questions about the depth of the squad.

Although Son Heung-min has contributed with sixteen Premier League goals and Richarlison has scored ten, no other Tottenham players have reached double figures this season, and the feeling remains that one of the reasons why Spurs The problem they have is that they are unable to replace Harry Kane.

Kane has continued to score regularly in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 35 goals for Bayern Munich, and his presence would undoubtedly have significantly improved this Tottenham team.

Some of Tottenham’s options from the bench are unconvincing. For example, Bryan Gil came on as a substitute against Chelsea, but the winger no longer seems to have a future at the club.

The injury to Destiny Udogie, who put in some excellent performances earlier in the season, has hit Tottenham hard, especially with Ben Davies, the club’s other main left-back, also sidelined.

No plan B from Postecoglou

When Tottenham swept teams aside with Postecoglou’s attacking style of play, the manager didn’t have to consider changing his approach.

But now Postecoglou remains true to his playing style, even if it is no longer supported by results.

Despite the difficulties Tottenham face and how fragile their defense has been at times, Postecoglou has remained steadfast in his belief that he will not change his principles.

However, some adaptability is needed as clubs are now familiar with Tottenham’s playing style and know how to exploit their weaknesses.

Spurs are sometimes far too open and there is also a lack of cohesion.

Postecoglou must ensure his team has more flexibility by controlling their attacking instincts when necessary.

The form of major players has declined

At this stage of the season you need your star players to stand up and be counted, but in many cases that hasn’t been the case for Tottenham.

For example, James Maddison showed some encouraging signs after joining Tottenham from Leicester, but he has not scored or assisted in his last seven league games.

Maddison only featured as a substitute against Chelsea after struggling with Arsenal, and appears to lack his usual conviction regarding his passing.

Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, was subdued against Chelsea and has not scored in his last nine league matches.

Postecoglou needed some of his big players to step up, but that often turned out not to be the case at crucial moments.

Lack of leadership and experience

Another problem for Tottenham is the lack of experience in the team.

Son and Davies are the only outfield players over 30, while alongside Son some of the standout stars include 21-year-old Udogie and 23-year-old Micky van de Ven.

Bringing a little more experience into the team during the summer transfer window could be an important step forward for Tottenham.

The lack of leadership in the squad is also a concern as Tottenham do not have many players capable of dragging the team out of difficult situations.

Some players in the squad could well develop into leaders, but more experience is required.