Tottenham manager Antonio Conte made tough remarks about the mentality of the club and its players in the wake of Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League.
Conte has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks, but Tottenham were leading 3-1 against the Saints and looked to be heading for an important win until conceding twice late on – including a 97th-minute equalizer from the penalty spot.
The Spurs chairman was visibly unfazed and shy about giving his true opinions afterwards, calling the players “selfish”, accusing them of not working as a team and even suggesting that Spurs were “used” to frequently underachieve under the current owner.
“At this moment, when we are playing a match, anything can happen. Normally, my teams show stability, not ups and downs, ups and downs” Sky Sports.
“We lose the work we did last season. I’m not talking about the tactical side, I’m talking about the spirit, about the sense of responsibility, about the heart we put on the field. To lose these characteristics, from my experience, you can lose a game against a team from the championship with ‘half A team like Sheffield United – I remember they played with younger players, not the first team, and we lost and pulled out of the FA Cup.
“Today, against Southampton, we win 3-1 and my imagination is that anything can happen in every moment and I’m scared of what happened.
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“The coach is responsible, the club is responsible… The players have to take responsibility because what we’ve seen in the last few months, I don’t like it. I’m not used to seeing these kinds of situations. I see a lot of selfish players and I don’t see a team.”
“You can close an eye or two, but it’s right to keep the eyes open and tell the truth. We all have to take responsibility, not just the club for the transfer market, for the manager. Tottenham have had important coaches in the past, but the problem has always been the same.
“If we start to believe that the players have a responsibility, this is the moment if you want to improve. Otherwise, I think for the rest of the season we risk ending up outside Europe.” [qualification]. “
“They are used to it here,” Conte added in his post-match press conference. “You don’t play for something important. They don’t want to play under pressure. They don’t want to play under pressure.”
“The story of Tottenham is this. 20 years there as an owner and they won nothing. Why?
Until now I am trying to hide the situation. But there are 10 matches left. People think we can fight? Fight for what? With this attitude, with this spirit, with this commitment. for the seventh? Eighth place? I’m really upset.
“If they want to continue this way, they can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation can’t change. Trust me.”
