MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham need to discover some “stability” within their performances, says Antonio Conte, but he is staying patient.
Spurs’ inconsistency came to the fore again on Tuesday, as Conte’s team suffered an FA Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough, losing 1-0 to the Championship side after extra time.
It was Middlesbrough’s first FA Cup win over Tottenham, in their seventh such meeting, while it was a historic defeat to Spurs – never before had they been eliminated from a domestic cup match after losing in extra time against a side from a lower division.
Since the turn of the year, Tottenham have lost seven of their 13 matches. Among Premier League sides, only Brentford (eight) have lost more games in all competitions in that timeframe.
It is a frustrating issue for Conte, whose team thrashed Leeds United 4-0 on Saturday and beat Manchester City the week before, yet those victories were wedged alongside defeats to Burnley, Southampton and Wolves.
“We need to make this team more stable than it has been in the past. This is still the big problem,” Conte told a news conference.
“I’m the coach of this team and when you’re the coach of this team your players are the best in the world.
“Then for sure I can consider my players the best in the world but we can work and we can improve for the future and also reflect on this defeat. This defeat has to hurt me, my players and everyone one that works in Tottenham.”
Conte has been in a fiery mood in recent media conferences, especially after defeats. In fact, after the loss at Turf Moor, he seemed to cast his own future into doubt.
This time, he was more reserved, even when asked what it would be like to end the season without a trophy.
“In this moment I’m the last person, I don’t think about myself,” he answered. “When I speak with my players, we have to think about ‘us’, not ‘me’.
“For me there is no problem and for me there is the desire, the will, the patience to try to continue to work very hard to improve, to make this team more stable than the past, because I think this is the key that can change the situation.”
Conte revealed he has been taking a “carrot and stick” approach so far at Spurs.
“Sometimes it’s important for the coach, when you have the media conference, there also has to be a strategy,” he added.
“Sometimes it has to be strong, sometimes it has to be light.
“My old coaches in Italy, they taught me that the coach sometimes has to use the carrot, sometimes they have to use the stick.
“I have to use the right way. After Burnley [I used the] stick and then we won. After Leeds, [I use] the carrot, [now] we lost! The coach has to be clear in his instruction. I know there is a lot of space for improvement.”
Spurs’ focus will now switch fully to their bid for Champions League qualification. They host struggling Everton in the Premier League on Monday.
