Tottenham throw away two-target lead at bottom side Southampton Spurs have been three-1 up with 16 minutes left but James Ward-Prowse’s stoppage-time penalty rescued three-three draw for Saints Spurs head coach Antonio Conte: “I see a lot of selfish players and I never see a group”

20:22, UK, Saturday 18 March 2023

Furious Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has hit out at his “selfish players” for not wanting to play “beneath stress” in an extraordinary post-match rant following they threw away a two-target lead at bottom side Southampton.

Spurs led three-1 at Saints with 16 minutes to go and looked on course to move third, but they conceded twice late on as James Ward-Prowse’s stoppage-time penalty rescued a three-three draw for the dwelling side.

Conte told Sky Sports following the three-three draw: “I am not utilised to seeing this sort of predicament. I see a lot of selfish players and I never see a group.”

He added in his post-match press conference, which lasted ten minutes: “We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that never want to support each and every other and never place their heart [in].”

Tottenham’s collapse at St Mary’s caps off a miserable March for the club who have been dumped out of each the FA Cup and the Champions League earlier this month to leave them trophyless given that 2008.

Asked why it is taking place in his post-match press conference, the Italian responded: “Simply because they are utilised to it right here, they are utilised to it. They never play for anything essential, yeah.

“They never want to play beneath stress, they never want to play beneath pressure. It is effortless in this way. Tottenham’s story is this.

“Twenty years there is the owner and they never ever won anything but why? The fault is only for the club, or for each manager that keep right here.

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte criticises his side following their late collapse at Southampton, claiming his players lack duty and believes they never appear like a group

“You danger to disrupt the figure of the manager and to safeguard the other predicament in each moment.

“Till now I attempt to hide the predicament but now, no, for the reason that I repeat, I never want to see what I have noticed right now for the reason that this is unacceptable and also unacceptable for the fans.

“They stick to us, spend for their ticket and to see the group a further time, to have this sort of functionality is unacceptable. We have to feel a lot about this.”

Conte: They can alter manager but the predicament will not alter

Conte’s Spurs contract expires this summer season and there is a increasing belief he will depart prior to the finish of the season.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes the 53-year-old’s outburst is a sign he desires to be sacked.

Carragher tweeted: “Conte desires to be sacked in this international break. Spurs really should just place him out of his misery and do it tonight.”

Fellow Sky Sports pundit and former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp added: “It feels as if his position is becoming untenable.”

Quizzed on if the lack of clarity more than his future had impacted the squad, Conte pushed back at a further “alibi” for his beneath-performing players in the course of a passionate monologue.

“You are getting an alibi, a further alibi,” he stated. “You attempt to locate an excuse for the players.”

He added: “The club has the duty for the transfer marketplace. Each and every coach that stayed right here has the duty and the players? The players? Exactly where are the players?

“In my practical experience, I can inform you that if you want to be competitive, if you want to fight, you have to enhance this aspect and this aspect, I can inform you, in this moment is definitely, definitely low.

“And I see only 11 players that play for themselves.

“There are ten games to go and some men and women feel we can fight. Fight for what with this spirit, this attitude, this commitment? What? For seventh, eighth, 10th location? I am not utilised to this position.

“I am definitely upset and absolutely everyone has to take their duty. Not only the club, the manager and the employees, the players have to be involved in this predicament for the reason that it is time to alter this predicament if Tottenham want to alter.

“If they want to continue in this way, they can alter the manager, a lot of managers, but the predicament can not alter. Think me.”

Conte: We are going backwards

Image:
Conte appears dejected at the finish of the three-three draw at Southampton

The draw at Southampton dented Tottenham’s leading-4 hopes with Conte’s side now just two points above fifth-placed Newcastle, who have two games in hand on them.

Conte told Sky Sports: “If I have to examine this season and the improvement we are performing this season compared to final season, I feel as an alternative of enhancing the predicament we are losing the perform that we did final season.

“I never speak about the tactical aspect, I am speaking about the spirit, the sense of duty about the heart that we have to place onto the pitch.

“Right now against Southampton you are winning three-1 and you really feel the perception my perception is that something can come about in each moment. And to be scared, scared of what [might] come about.

“The players, the players have to take the duty for the reason that what we are seeing in the final month I never like. I never like.”