Micah Richards believes Cristian Stellini's decision to use Ivan Perisic and Pedro Porro at full-back against Newcastle on Sunday were decisive contributions to his sacking on Monday.
The Italian was appointed as interim coach until the end of the season after his former boss Antonio Conte left the club in March. He lasted just four games before Daniel Levy decided to remove him from his role.
Spurs collapsed to a humiliating 6-1 defeat at St James' Park with their defence conceding five goals in the opening 21 minutes.
Former Man City defender Richards criticised Stellini's decision to set Tottenham up in a four-man defence for the first time since January 2022 against a Newcastle side charging towards the Champions League qualification places.