Paul Merson has laid into Tottenham and believes their stuttering start to the Premier League campaign suggests they are already out of the Premier League title race.
After securing an opening-day win over Aston Villa and then battling to a hard-fought draw with fellow title-chasers Manchester City , Spurs were stunned by relegation favourites Newcastle on Sunday.
A horrible 1-0 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw Spurs struggle to create chances against a resolute Magpies, and they are already five points behind top-flight leaders Liverpool after just three games.
And Arsenal icon Merson didn't hold back in his criticism of Spurs, claiming that they must accept that they have no chance of securing the league title this campaign.
Writing in his latest Sky Sports column, he said: "I must admit, I didn't see this coming - Tottenham losing at home to Newcastle. Spurs look in disarray, a worrying sign this early in the season.
"They are out of the title race already, five points behind Liverpool with three games played. That may sound harsh, but would you back Spurs to win the league over Liverpool if Liverpool had a five-point head start?
"People go on and on about there being 35 games left but I'm fed up with that rhetoric, five points is a lot of points to make up.
"As a general rule, it takes five games to make up five points, Liverpool lost once last season and have won every game so far this, so where are Spurs going to bridge the gap?
"Before a ball was kicked, I thought Spurs were a dead cert to finish in the top three, now they look in the equation for top four football after their performances."
Merson continued his damning assessment of Tottenham, believing that they have been a massive disappointment in the opening three games of the Premier League campaign.
"I rate Tottenham highly as a team - they were Champions League finalists less than three months ago after all - but they have shocked me, they have been my biggest disappointment this season so far, and I'm not just saying that because I used to play for Arsenal.
"Pochettino's comments that he has never seen so much unrest at a football club the other day were concerning and eye-opening.
"He doesn't normally speak so strongly, he always looks after the club's interests and gets on with the job at hand. But his comment suggests things are unravelling at the moment."
