'Seen it happen twice': Paul Merson has just spotted a 'worrying trend' about Tottenham this season

Tottenham have blown hot and cold this season and have yet to find the consistency as they look to improve on their fifth-place finish from the previous campaign.

Ange Postecolgou’s side are currently ninth in the Premier League table with ten points and have already lost thrice, with only Everton (4), Crystal Palace (4), Southampton (6) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (6) losing more games than them this season.

Tottenham need to find more consistency if they are to fight for a place in the top four and will look to return to winning ways this weekend after losing 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.

As they return to action in the Premier League, Paul Merson has noticed a ‘worrying trend’ about them this season.

Paul Merson feels Tottenham players don’t stand up for each other enough

Spurs were cruising at 2-0 thanks to goals from Brennan Johson and James Maddison, but Brighton staged a stunning fightback with three goals in the second half to secure all three points.

Merson suggests Tottenham threw away what should have been a routine away win as they crumbled as soon as things began to go south after the interval.

“Tottenham looked great for 45 minutes against Brighton before the international break, but they eventually ended up doing what they’re known for during that 3-2 loss,” wrote Merson in his column for Sportskeeda.

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“The ‘Spursy’ tag seems to never leave them! We saw the same thing happening during the game against Leicester, 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.”

The Arsenal icon feels Postecoglou’s squad need to take a bit more initiative when things aren’t going as planned to avoid capitulating the way they did against Brighton.

Merson continued: “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 lineup 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.”

Tottenham need to respond against West Ham

Tottenham haven’t been consistent enough this season but have shown flashes of brilliance, with their 3-0 win against Manchester United their best performance of the season so far.

Read More: Ange Postecoglou accepts why Tottenham fans may disagree with his trophy plans

Postecoglou said their defeat to Brighton was one of his worst moments as Tottenham boss and will be eager for his players to show a response against a West Ham United side that has struggled under Julen Lopetegui.

With three points and bragging rights at stake, Spurs need to secure a positive result to avoid their season from fizzling out so early on.