In Antonio Conte’s mind, Tottenham would already be through to the Champions League knockouts if they more consistently behaved like a bigger club.
A furious Conte was convinced that the VAR would not have been brave enough to disallow Harry Kane’s stoppage-time goal against Sporting Lisbon last week if Spurs were a “top team” — by which he meant a side such as Real Madrid or Liverpool, who know how to win this competition.
If the decision had gone Spurs’ way, they would already be through to the last-16 as group winners, and tonight’s match here in Marseille would be a welcome dead-rubber.
Instead, the occasion will go a long way to determining if their first half of the season has been a success or failure, and even colour perceptions of Conte’s work in his first year at the club.
Amid all the focus on his tactics, rotation and game-management, as Conte celebrates the anniversary of his appointment he is still working to change the bigger fundamentals concerning his players’ mentality, as well as the way the club behaves.
The Italian was used to big decisions going his way with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and he wants his players and superiors to be more bullish.
“I hope the club understands [the damage caused by VAR] and then in the right situation they also speak with the people they have to speak because otherwise it is only the manager speaking,” he said after the Sporting game. “I think the club has to be strong because this situation creates big, big damage.”
Saturday’s comeback win over Bournemouth was further evidence that Conte is building a side with guts but after the game he admitted he was still puzzled by how easily his players lose confidence, and called for them to be more “nasty”.
Conte is not the first Spurs manager to perceive an undercurrent of fragility within his squad. When Mauricio Pochettino arrived at the club in the summer of 2014, he was surprised to find a group who were already fretting about a visit to rivals West Ham on the opening day of the season.
The Argentine made great strides towards changing the mentality throughout the club but his successor Jose Mourinho still felt his players were too “nice” — another word Conte used at Bournemouth.
Conte has a different squad to both Pochettino and Mourinho, but there is still a sense that the last hurdles for Spurs to overcome are in the players’ heads.
There is still a sense that the last hurdles for Spurs to overcome are in the players’ heads
Kane, whose own single-minded desire to improve is beyond question, also hinted at a mental block when asked to explain another slow start at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. For the England captain, there is an element of fear which is preventing the team from playing freely from the off.
“Fitness-wise we are very strong, which could explain why we often finish games strongly,” Kane said. “And mentally, I think when the players are free and we have nothing to lose, we play better — we get more people forward and keep the pressure on in the opposition half.
“That’s how it played out against Sporting in midweek and at Bournemouth it worked out in the end. We kept knocking on the door and, thankfully, we go through it, but it’s something we’re going to have to improve if we want to stay up towards the top of the table for the rest of the season.”
Starting tonight’s game with caution will be particularly tempting because a draw will guarantee Spurs’ progress, possibly as group winners, but they have struggled to be effective with the handbrake on. A defeat would mean they drop into the Europa League.
The sense that this game will be first and foremost a test of character for Spurs is heightened because Conte will not be able to rally his players from the touchline or dressing room after being sent off for entering the field of play after Kane’s goal was disallowed on Wednesday.
Back in January, the head coach revealed he was trying to occasionally be calmer on the sidelines as part of a process to teach his players to take responsibility on the pitch.
“Sometimes I have to stay seated and leave my players to make the best decision and face the game during the difficulties,” he said. “It’s part of the process to improve their responsibility during the game.”
With Conte watching from the stands and his assistant Cristian Stellini in the dugout, the players’ progress in this area will be tested in the south of France, while his absence from dressing room at half-time could be particularly significant if Spurs go in trailing at the interval, as they have in the past three matches.
Still, there are few better places for Spurs’ to prove their mental fortitude than under pressure in Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, which will be a cauldron of hostility tonight, even with one stand closed by UEFA following crowd trouble in their first game here against Eintracht Frankfurt.
