Edgar Davids pointed the finger at Christian Eriksen after Tottenham lost at home to Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Eriksen performed poorly against his former side and ex-Dutch international star Davids, who also played for both clubs, made his feelings clear while speaking as a pundit on BT Sport.
He said: “This was especially a game for Eriksen to stand apart, really, because that is his game – between the lines. He didn’t show up.”
Eriksen himself made no excuses after a hugely disappointing Spurs performance.
The Danish midfielder said: “We didn’t play our best at all. We were better in the second half. I think in the first 20 minutes we were just ball-watchers and against a team that like possession it’s a no-go.
“We made them look a lot better than they are. Of course they’re a good side, but we helped them on their way.
“In the second half we played more direct and we hurt them a bit more.
“Nobody wanted to play the first half the way we did. Everyone felt disappointed that we didn’t compete at the level we know we can. We needed to change it and we did.”