Exclusive – Darren Anderton fears Tottenham may repeat last season’s collapse

Darren Anderton has admitted he fears that Tottenham’s season could fall away – just like last season – after they lost to Liverpool, Inter Milan and Fulham last week.

Andre Villas-Boas’ men currently sit fourth in the Premier League after the two domestic defeats but they are now only four points ahead of fierce rivals Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

After watching his former club blow a ten point lead over the Gunners last season, Anderton is concerned that the treble whammy could have destroyed the team’s confidence.

And he thinks that Chelsea and Arsenal’s experience could count against the Lilywhites if they don’t stop their slump immediately.

Anderton told the Weekend Sports Breakfast: “It all started in the Liverpool game where they played well and were 2-1 up and then a couple of silly mistakes and they end up losing the game. They went to Milan and I thought they were really poor, scraped through and then against Fulham they just looked like they’d, basically, lost their confidence.

“They need to get back to winning ways and try and nick a win somewhere otherwise it’s going to be a repeat of last year where, in the last ten games of the season, they went downhill in a big way.

“I think the biggest problem is that it’s habit. The other teams have been there and done it. They finish the season well, normally, and the only thing Spurs have to fall back on is that last year they finished poorly and when you get a bad week, like last week, people remind them of it and that will creep into the players’ minds.

“Now, instead of going out onto the pitch and thinking they’re going to win, they’re thinking they need to win.”