Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has launched into a furious rant about the club following their 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Spurs had to settle for a point at the Saints on Saturday afternoon after leading 3-1 with less than 15 minutes left to play. Theo Walcott got Southampton’s second goal, before James Ward-Prowse converted a stoppage-time penalty to ensure the points were shared.
The draw would have pleased Liverpool, who are now seven points adrift of Tottenham but have two games in hand, in the battle for the top four. And Everton will have been encouraged, too, given they take on Spurs in their next match back after the international break at Goodison Park.
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After the St Mary's clash, Conte launched into several rants about his players and the club as a whole. Football.London have transcribed Conte’s press conference in full, here is a selection of what the Tottenham managerhad to say.
A tough penalty decision to take but at 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go, should your team be drawing that match?
“If we are going to discuss the penalty it means we don't want to see other situations. For the penalty for me it was not a penalty. I stop, we close the situation. The worst situation is what was happening on the pitch. What has been happening in the last few months, what is happening in my second season.
“I think that it's the right moment to speak because I think that after this performance, for me this is unacceptable. We are winning 3-1, in control of the game and you are able to concede two goals and to risk, because also Fraser made a fantastic save in one situation. I think it's much better to go into the problem, because the problem is that for another time we showed that we are not a team.
“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart.
“Before today I prefer to hide this situation and to try to speak, to try to improve the spirit, the situation, with the words, With a lot of situations. Because about tactical or technical aspect, this is one situation. The most important thing if you want to become a strong team, if you want to become competitive, if you want to fight to win, is the desire, the fire that you need to have in your eyes , in your heart, and you have to show this in every moment. In every moment.
“If I have to compare last season and this season, we have to improve, but now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team, anything can happen, in any moment. Today is the last situation. Don’t forget that in FA Cup we lost to Sheffield United, who played with young players. We were able with a strong team, to be dropped from the FA Cup. And then a lot of situations, I repeat, that we are not going to improve. And I am not speaking about tactical aspect or technical aspect.
“About being a team, being a team, being a team, it is the most important thing. To understand that we play for the badge. We have to play to make our fans proud of us. We have to pay to show desire. The fire in your eyes to win. If you have this , for sure, you don't go out in FA Cup. Today you win.
“We have to play to make our fans proud of us, we have to play to show desire. The fire in your eyes to win. If you have this, for sure, you don't go out in FA Cup. And today we'd win. Maybe previously in the other games something can change. But here we're used to it for a long time. The club has the responsibility for the transfer market, every coach that stayed here has the responsibility. And the players? The players? Where are the players? In my experience, I can tell you that if you want to be competitive, if you want to fight, you have to improve this aspect. And this aspect, I can tell you, in this moment is really, really low. And I see only 11 players that play for themselves.”
But does your future, the uncertainty....
“You are finding an alibi, another alibi. You try to find an excuse for the players. OK, continue to do this, to find an excuse for the players. You do only this! You do only this. Excuses for the players. 'But the players, maybe, my future, then we lost confidence, they lost spirit, they lost being a team'. Excuses. Excuses. Excuse. Try to protect them every time.
“Bah. Come on, come on, come on. We are professional. The club pay us a lot of money. The players receive money, me receive money, you understand? Not to find excuse or not show spirit or show a sense of belonging or don't show a sense of responsibility because we are showing this. For me this is unacceptable because for me this is the first time in my career to see a situation like this. Until now I wasn't able to change, not to change but compare to last season the situation went to become worse.”
Why is it happening?
“Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don't play for something important yeah. They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress. It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here? I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment.
“Until now I try to hide the situation but now no because I repeat I don't want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable and also unacceptable for the fans. They follow us, pay the ticket and to see the team another time to have this type of performance is unacceptable. We have to think a lot about this.”
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