Moussa Sissoko Says Tottenham's Struggles Not About 'A Lack of Desire'

Desire isn't the problem for Tottenham Hotspur, according to midfielder Moussa Sissoko, who took to social media to call for unity after the club's 3-0 defeat away to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday:

Losing to the Seagulls condemned Spurs to a third defeat in the last five matches. Tottenham have won just once in the last six games in all competitions.

A dire run of form on this scale makes Sissoko's assurances to fans and pleas for patience timely. However, the Frenchman's words may struggle to convince the doubters Spurs can correct their flaws and get the season back on track.

Things have been going off the rails on multiple fronts recently, beginning with losing on penalties to League Two side Colchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup last month. The defeat took away one chance for Tottenham to end a trophy drought dating back to 2008 (excluding the International Champions Cup and Barclays Asia Trophy).

Perhaps more concerning was the 7-2 loss at home to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. It showed how far last season's beaten finalists have fallen in a short space of time.

The problems run deep, with a core group appearing stale after a number of years punching above the club's weight at the highest level:

Mauricio Pochettino's to-do list is growing every day, and the Tottenham manager has already moved to play down suggestions his position is in jeopardy, per BBC Sport: "No, I am not worried. What worries me is life, not football."

Pochettino may not be worried about his own job, but the Argentinian must be concerned about the manner of Spurs' recent performances. Brighton dominated at the Amex Stadium, effortlessly passing through a pedestrian midfield and exposing an overwhelmed defence featuring Sissoko in a makeshift role at right-back.

Losing goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris to an injury early on didn't help, but the warning signs of Tottenham's decline have been coming.

Football.London's Alasdair Gold noted how the spine of Pochettino's team, beginning with centre-back duo Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, has been getting weaker. Gold also noted how chairman Daniel Levy never sufficiently heeded Pochettino's consistent call for investment in recent summers.

Spurs moved to a new stadium last season, a move saddling the north London club with considerable debts. Even so, Levy did invest this summer, making midfield Tanguy Ndombele a record signing and also acquiring Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham.

Yet some believe the absence of a consistent influx of transfers does not mitigate the reasons for Tottenham's struggles this season. Dan Kilpatrick of the London Evening Standard criticised Pochettino's team selection against the Seagulls, objecting to the absence of creative duo Dele Alli and Lucas Moura.

Meanwhile, the deployment of midfield workhorse Sissoko in defence while Davinson Sanchez, a natural centre-back and a £42 million signing back in 2017, sat on the bench also raised eyebrows.

Aside from personnel choices, some of Pochettino's tactical decisions have been questioned. Sissoko himself recently told RMC (h/t Kilpatrick) how Spurs tire when operating in a diamond formation.

Sissoko and his boss are searching for fresh ways to motivate the squad while the consistency the club has made a hallmark in recent years is disappearing. The talent is there to help engineer a quick turnaround, but every heavy defeat only increases the negativity around the team and raises deeper questions about Pochettino's position.