Mauricio Pochettino Hints at January Additions to 'Unsettled' Tottenham Squad

Mauricio Pochettino has said "January is going to be a good opportunity to fix" Tottenham Hotspur's current struggles after they were knocked out the Carabao Cup by League Two side Colchester United on Tuesday.

A second-string starting XI were boosted by second-half substitutes Christian Eriksen, Heung-Min Son and Erik Lamela in the third-round tie at the JobServe Community Stadium. 

But after 90 minutes of action it was 0-0, and Spurs were then beaten on penalties after Eriksen and Lucas Moura missed from the spot:

It means Spurs are now winless in three matches since their 4-0 victory against Crystal Palace, and the atmosphere around the club is not good. 

That was clear from Pochettino's comments after the Colchester defeat, in which he said his side are not united and hinted at January signings, per Ben Grounds of Sky Sports:

"We are working so hard to put everyone on the same page. Only we need time. January is going to be a good opportunity too to fix this situation and the next one. That is the problem when something happens that you cannot control.

"It means we are human and in football to keep the successful period in football you need to be different every season and find different solutions. We need to do something different and we will do that. ... When you have an unsettled squad always it's difficult and you lose time and then you need time to recover the time you lose. That's where we are.

"Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, connection, it's energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad. We need time again to build that togetherness that you need when you are competing at this level."

Last season, Spurs made it to the final of the UEFA Champions League, where they lost to Liverpool, and they were briefly touted as surprise Premier League title challengers in February. 

Despite eventually finishing fourth in the Premier League, it was seen as a successful season for Spurs, as not only did they reach their maiden European final, they did it with the same squad they had in 2017-18. 

However, a look at their form from late February shows an alarming tail-off despite the heroic European knockout victories over Ajax and Manchester City.

In all competitions, Tottenham won just six of their last 18 games of the 2018-19 campaign, and in the Premier League just three of their last 12.

They have not won away in the English top flight since January, a run of nine matches in which they have claimed just two points:

When Spurs finally made some signings in the recent summer transfer window, with Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon becoming the first major new additions at the north London club since Moura in January 2018, it was expected they would only get better this term.

However, they have yet to find any real form so far in 2019-20, and based on Pochettino's latest comments, there are clear problems in the squad.