Antonio Conte drew no punches with his angry assessment of Tottenham’s performance after Saturday’s lackluster draw with Southampton.
Spurs gambled away a 3-1 lead and shared the points with the Saints, who are fighting for relegation to the Premier League.
Here, Sportsmail catches the best bits from the Italian manager’s 10-minute rant…
A difficult decision on penalties, but with 15 minutes to go your team is 3-1 ahead. Should your team draw this game?
The penalty was not a penalty for me. When we talk about punishment it means we don’t want to see other situations. The worst was what happened on the pitch. What’s happened in the last few months, what’s happening in my second season.
It’s the right moment to speak up because after this performance it’s unacceptable. We win 3-1, have the game under control and you can concede two goals and risk, because Fraser also made a great save in one situation. It’s much better to address the issue. The problem is that we showed that we are not a team. We are 11 players going on the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players who don’t want to help each other and don’t put their hearts into it.
Antonio Conte didn’t hold back with his brutal assessment of Spurs and their recent history
The Italian cut a bitter figure in the press room after the final whistle
Before today, I prefer to hide this situation and try to talk to many situations to improve the spirit, the situation. The tactical or technical aspect, that’s a situation. The most important thing, if you want to become a strong team, if you want to be competitive, if you want to win, is the will, the fire that you have to have in your eyes, in your heart and show it in every moment. In every moment.
If I have to compare last season and this season, we need to improve, but now we’re worse in that regard. If you’re not a team, anything can happen at any time.
Today is the last situation. Don’t forget that in the FA Cup we lost to Sheffield United who played with young players. We were kicked out of the FA Cup with a strong team.
Many situations, I repeat, will not improve. And I’m not talking about the tactical or technical aspect.
[It’s] about being a team, being a team, being a team. It’s the most important thing. To understand that we are playing for the badge. 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’ve got that, you’re certainly not going to go out in the FA Cup. Today you win.
We have to play to make our fans proud, we have to play to show desire. We’ve gotten used to it here for a long time. The club is responsible for the transfer market, every coach who stayed here is responsible. And the players? The players? Where are the players?
From 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 that aspect, I can tell you, is really very low right now. And I only see 11 players playing for themselves.
But does your future make the uncertainty….
You find an alibi, another alibi. They try to find an excuse for the players. OK, keep up the good work to find an excuse for the players. You only do this! You only do 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 her every time. Bah. come on come on come on We are professional. The club pays us a lot of money. Players get money, I get money, you know?
Not making an excuse or showing a spirit or a sense of belonging or a sense of responsibility because we show it. For me this is unacceptable because it is the first time in my career that I see such a situation. So far I haven’t been able to change, not just change, but compared to last season the situation has worsened.
Why is it happening?
Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. You’re not playing for anything important. They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress. It’s easy this way.
Tottenham’s story is as follows. Twenty years the owner has been there and they have never won anything, but why? The fault lies only with the club or with any manager who stays here. I saw the managers Tottenham had on the bench. You risk disturbing the manager’s figure and protecting the other situation at any moment.
The manager’s comments are unlikely to boost morale during a mixed season
The club’s hierarchy, including chairman Daniel Levy, was also in the line of fire
Until now I’m trying to hide the situation, but now, no, because I repeat, I don’t want to see what I saw today because it’s unacceptable and it’s also unacceptable for the fans. They follow us, pay for the ticket and seeing the team one more time to do this kind of performance is unacceptable. We have to think a lot about that.
You saw the fire last week. What has changed?
I said that I want to see the fire in their eyes, in their hearts. I want to see the right spirit. OK. Not only in training, but also on the pitch. Because here you have to make the difference. And until now I’m trying to hide the situation but now it’s 10 games left and some people think we can fight. What fight with his spirit, this attitude? What? For seventh, eighth, 10th place? I’m not used to this position. I’m really pissed off and everyone needs to take their responsibilities.
Not just the club, the manager and the staff. The players need to be involved in this situation because it is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. If they want to continue like this, they can change managers, many managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11876783/The-situation-change-Believe-Inside-best-bits-Antonio-Contes-1000-word-rant.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 “The situation CANNOT change. Believe me!’ In the best parts of Antonio Conte’s 1000-word rant
