Shell-shocked Spurs sample the cool seaside air at Brighton on Saturday but it'll be far from an enjoyable trip given that they're feeling the heat from all sides.

The game has taken on enormous significance for a club who have failed to register a Premier League away win since January. The 7-2 mauling from Bayern Munich on Tuesday night will have left gaping wounds. I'm told the players sat in stunned silence in the dressing room after the match for an hour until, eventually, Jan Vertonghen agreed to front up and try to explain to TV interviewers how his team could collapse so dramatically.

Brighton, a more adventurous side under new manager Graham Potter, will look to exploit Tottenham's current fragility. Has it been long enough for the Spurs players and manager to regroup? You can be sure there have been crisis meetings behind the scenes and another defeat escalates things into a full-blown crisis. But in any case, there's a feeling that things are not quite right at the club and that the dam might be about to burst.

A good team has not suddenly become a bad one. Perhaps a certain staleness has set in or a feeling that without bigger investment, Mauricio Pochettino has taken the club as far as he can.

To be fair, Pochettino has performed wonders on a limited budget to make Tottenham top four regulars, qualifying for Europe's most prestigious competition every season. That is an achievement in itself. Ask Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, all of whom have had to "slum it" on Thursday nights in the Europa League in recent times. But Pochettino's team suffered a stunning 13 Premier League defeats last season as well as the current streak without an away victory.

The manager recently spoke of some players having "different agendas," taken as a reference to Christian Eriksen's foiled desire to move to Real Madrid. The Danish playmaker said it was not about money but a search for the silverware that, for all their talent, Spurs cannot seem to win.

You have to wonder if that frustrated feeling has spread to some other long-serving members of the squad. Emotionally, they have given so much and may be finding it hard to go to the well again. Even Pochettino himself admitted last week that he still felt sick and devastated by losing that Champions League Final against Liverpool. All of this stress may be just taking the edge off performances, especially in that vital area of commitment and desire to win back possession.

The squad surely needed freshening up more than just the addition of the very useful Tanguy Ndombele in midfield. Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Eriksen might all have gone in the summer, but all three stayed. They have all been good servants but every club needs a few new faces to keep everyone on their toes. That simply hasn't happened on the Tottenham High Road and while the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min continue to exude menace, there are questions to answer elsewhere.

- Inside Tottenham's collapse: Players question tactics
- Ogden: Pochettino might not pull Spurs out of this tailspin
- Pochettino: Spurs must stay together after 7-2 rout

Was it right to sell Kieran Trippier to Atletico for a knock-down fee?

What has happened to Dele Alli? He's not having the impact he should and misses too many games.

Hugo Lloris' howler against Southampton was a reminder that his errors come a little more frequently than they once did.

Can Harry Winks stay fit to become a dominant midfield force for club and country?

What's going on with the erstwhile defensive rock Vertonghen, who was axed from the team at the start of the season?

And will Daniel Levy loosen the purse strings for the squad enhancement that's surely now needed?

When a team lets in seven goals at home, it's time for a long look in the mirror for all concerned, but don't be surprised to see Spurs bounce back with a win or two. These are very proud and good footballers with a fine manager. They could be a bit exhausted as a group that's been through so much together without the rewards they probably deserved, and Bayern's goal bonanza might spark the beginning of the end of this Spurs era. The smart money now says that something has to give.

Brighton is normally a fun place to visit. Tottenham need to make sure they don't hit the rocks again on the Sussex coast.