Danny Mills blasts Tottenham for being 'too rigid', says they lack a player like Philippe Coutinho

Tottenham are 'too rigid' and lack a player in the mould of Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho, according to Danny Mills. Spurs were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by the Reds on Saturday (11 February) and produced a lethargic, lacklustre display at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's men, who were in the midst of crisis before their victory at the weekend, are just now just one point behind Tottenham. Mills believes Mauricio Pochettino's men regularly come unstuck against the big teams in the Premier League and questioned the strength of their squad depth, saying they lack a "second option".

"Tottenham I feel are just a little bit too rigid, especially against some of the bigger teams that defend better," the former Manchester City defender told Sky Sports News. "Do they have enough, do they have a second option?

"They have a certain way of playing but they don't have anybody to come off the bench and change things when required. Tottenham don't have someone with blistering pace, or a dribble, or a Coutinho style of player."

Pochettino did not exactly have an embarrassment of riches available to him on his substitutes' bench against Liverpool. The Tottenham boss brought on misfiring forward Vincent Janssen, underwhelming £30m (€35.3m) signing Moussa Sissoko and young starlet Harry Winks in an attempt to change the flow of the game at Anfield. Unsurprisingly, the trio had very little effect on proceedings, and Liverpool ran out comfortable winners.

Despite the slump against Liverpool, Tottenham are still in an impressive run of form and have won seven of their last 10 matches in the Premier League. Spurs' focus is currently away from domestic matters, however, as they prepare for the first leg of their Europa League knockout tie with Gent at the Ghelamco Arena on Thursday before visiting Craven Cottage to face London rivals Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.