Ryan Mason has suggested that Tottenham’s lack of fitness played a key role in their defeat to Brentford on Saturday.
A common theme of Spurs’ season has been rousing themselves from early deficits yet this lunchtime kick-off saw them lead after only eight minutes, via Harry Kane’s fantastic free-kick.
Despite dominating the first half, Tottenham collapsed in their final home game of the season as Bryan Mbeumo scored twice in a 3-1 win for the Bees.
Caretaker boss Mason explained that his bid to up the team’s intensity failed to pay off due to their lack of fitness, following the regimes of Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini.
“I think there’s many different reason why intensity drops,” he told BT Sport post-match.
“I think if you want to be an intense team you have to work and train as an intense team, that’s probably been a difficulty of getting this role at this stage of the season having worked a different way for a period of time.
“But I thought we were keen to show what we want to be and become. In the first half we did that but we probably couldn’t sustain it for 95 minutes.”
Mason has previously expressed his interest in taking charge of Tottenham full-time, yet refused to comment on the club’s search for a new manager and director of football.
“The summer is a week away, we do have an important game against Leeds,” he continued.
“Like I’ve said the whole time, there will be conversations, there are massive decisions to make. But we can’t look too far ahead.
“After the last game of the season, those conversations will definitely happen.”
