Micky van de Ven says Tottenham were 'nowhere near' good enough in their FA Cup third round defeat to Aston Villa - as the Dutchman called into question the squad's mentality during the game.
Spurs' season hit a new low under boss Thomas Frank on Saturday as two first-half goals from Villa midfielders Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers rendered Wilson Odobert's strike after 54 minutes no more than a consolation.
Having already been knocked out of the League Cup, the FA Cup was seen by fans as the chance for the club to get their hands on silverware for the second season in a row.
But Villa's 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium means Spurs now only remain in the Premier League - where they sit 14th - and in the Champions League, where they are yet to secure qualification into the round of 16.
'Gutted obviously that we're out of the cup,' stand-in captain Van de Ven said after Saturday's match. 'First half [we were] nowhere near our level, nowhere near where we need to be and second half way better.
'I think we showed also some mentality, but if we showed it from the first minute, this game is totally different.'
Frank, who was on the receiving end of chants from Villa fans about him being an Arsenal supporter - after his midweek coffee cup gaffe - was reminded that he vowed to have Spurs competing in 'all four competitions' upon his arrival.
'Of course that's disappointing,' the under-pressure Dane admitted.
He added: 'We all know there's only one way to have everyone happy. That is performing consistently and winning enough games. That's the only way.
'And we could see, second half especially, the energy, how they feed off each other, the players and the fans. It was a fantastic experience to be in the middle of it.
'Unfortunately, we couldn't get that fantastic comeback, which sometimes kick-starts a momentum and that's what we are working very hard to do.'
Tottenham will have had a week to prepare for their next league game against West Ham on Saturday before hosting Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on the following Tuesday evening.
Frank will be boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke, who played against Villa to make his first appearance since August 23, but is facing an anxious wait over the extent of Richarlison's hamstring injury after the Brazilian was taken off against Villa.
'I think we have done a lot of things right to get [Richarlison] where he is now; I think he has done a lot of things right,' Frank said.
'It's not only about us, it's about every club. I think there are a few injuries across the Premier League.'
He continued: 'I think it's something for the football authorities to look into as well. We played five games in 13 days, four in 10, that's one of the few clubs that did that, and this is our third time this season.
'That's the most tricky thing with two days in between. We are dealing with it, we are doing everything we can to compete in it, but that's a tough schedule.'