No matter how many times Spurs hire and fire managers there is always one thing that stops them reaching that next level. Following a sensational win over Premier League leaders Manchester City, a dismal defeat to second bottom Burnley just four days later has once again laid bare Tottenham Hotspur’s inconsistency. Antonio Conte then put the cat amongst the pigeons with his post match comments suggesting he is under pressure after four league defeats in the last five.
Antonio Conte Comments Compound Tottenham Hotspur’s Inconsistency
Burnley Defeat Shocks Spurs
Tottenham have always been one of those clubs that can beat anyone on their day and create magical moments. They have beaten City twice this season and stunned many when they reached the Champions League final in 2019 under Mauricio Pochettino following an incredible comeback against Ajax in the semi final. Yet for all those magical moments, Spurs are never too far away from undoing all that hard work. At Turf Moor it happened again.
Persistent rain and wind made conditions difficult and the first half was a war of attrition with little action of note. Spurs came out with added fire in the second half and Harry Kane rattled the crossbar but it was a set piece that undid them. Burnley captain Ben Mee scored with a header on 71 minutes and suddenly Tottenham’s top four hopes were hanging by a thread once more.
Conte Casts Doubt on Spurs Future
Conte was asked by the Tottenham board to not give any further interviews to Italian media after he gave an interview to Sky Italia in which his comments were felt to have been mistranslated. But his comments after the defeat to Burnley do not need translating. The Italian is frustrated, concerned and feels the time has come for the club to evaluate his tenure so far.
What Conte Said
Conte did not want to discuss the game in his post match press conference but rather focus on the ‘situation’ at the club. As per football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, Conte said:
“I don’t want to comment on the game. I want to comment only on the situation. In the last five games, we lost four times. This is the reality. Not performance, not space no space. The reality is this. That we lost four games of the last five. No one deserves this type of situation – the club, me, the players and fans, but this is the reality.”
Conte explained how he is working hard to change the situation at the club but accepts that losing four of the last five games in the league is not good enough and it is something that he, as a manager has not experienced before:
“I’m really frustrated and I’m not used to being faced with this type of situation.”
Tottenham Hotspur’s Inconsistency Reaches Relegation Form
It is incredible to think that the win at the Etihad had people thinking Spurs were ready to push for the top four and yet Conte was speaking about the relegation zone on current form:
“But the problem, I repeat: I’m trying to do everything to change the situation but the situation is not changing. Someone has to speak about the race for the fourth place, and the reality from the last five games is we have to pay attention to not fight for the relegation zone.”
The Usually Confident Conte Sounds Resigned
Conte never holds back when he speaks but to hear him questioning himself was surprising:
“Maybe I’m not so good for…. Maybe I’m not so good. Yes, maybe I’m not so good.”
His comments sound like he has laid down the gauntlet to Daniel Levy and he wants to speak with the club about the current situation. It will be the summer when a rebuild can really happen at Spurs but after this defeat and these comments there is reason to think that Conte might not be there to take the club forward. The ball is now in Levy and ENIC’s hands.
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