'That's when you need your big players': Tim Sherwood says Tottenham trio vanished in second half v Brighton

Today at 12:45 PM

Tottenham showed two sides of themselves following their 3-2 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.

Everyone knows about Ange Postecoglou’s style of play and how it can take you from hero to zero in next to no time.

There is no middle ground with this Tottenham team and that was proven when they let a 2-0 lead slip and didn’t jump on the chance of winning six games in all competitions.

After 45 minutes, nearly every Tottenham player was getting plaudits left, right and centre, and rightly so because they were dominant.

Spurs outclassed Manchester United at Old Trafford last week, then backed it up by winning in Europe again, with the team clearly on a high and reacting well to recent setbacks.

But it’s never a quiet day at Hotspur Way, with drama around the corner, with Tottenham even leaving Tim Sherwood red-faced.

Whilst the former manager was lauding Postecoglou’s side when things were going well, he wasn’t too shy to share his views when everything went wrong.

The issue for Sherwood was certain players not turning up in the second half when things got tough and he wasn’t shy to name them.

James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson – all three players who were involved in the opening two goals – came under fire.

Sherwood stated that he ‘never saw’ the trio during the second half and they vanished, which isn’t ideal, because ‘you need your big players to take control’, as he told Premier League Productions (06/10/24 at 6:35 pm).

James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson second half performance for Tottenham against Brighton

"It was an incredible turnaround and Tottenham didn't stand up to it," said Sherwood. "They didn't get on the ball.

"I never saw Maddison in the second half. I never saw Solanke. I never saw Johnson. I never saw them. That's when you need your big players to take control of the game and try to get some passes in. Passes are like medicine when you are up against it, you feel better the more you make.

"But as soon as they score, it's like dropping the soap in the bath, you know how hard it is to find and it keeps getting away from you. That's exactly what happened to them in the second half. They just picked them off Brighton, so credit to them."

Tottenham v West Ham United

A very interesting game awaits Spurs after the international break when they welcome London rivals West Ham United to their backyard.

West Ham picked up their first win of the season on Saturday when they beat Ipswich Town, including captain Jarrod Bowen getting back in the goals.

READ MORE:Chris Sutton says there's 'no excuse' for what £20m Tottenham player v Brighton this weekend

You sense a lot of emotion will be riding on this game and a defeat for either side will not be received very well at all.

Julen Lopetegui has already come under fire at West Ham and Postecoglou is going from one extreme to the other week after week.