Antonio Conte has insisted his “happy” with his team’s performance, despite his side losing 2-1, to top four rivals Liverpool.
Spurs continued their recent trend by falling behind early on, with Mohammed Salah’s smart finish putting the visitors ahead in the 11th minute. The 12th time so far this season, that Spurs have went 1-0 down.
Eric Dier made matters worse with a diabolical back-pass that fell to Salah, who then calmly slotted home his second of the game.
Conte (via Football.London) spoke on his side’s first half performance:
“About the performance, I have to be happy. I have to make considerations about the whole game. The first half was a positive first half, and then for sure if you ask me your team was 2-0 down, it’s true but I think also in the first half the attitude and putting pressure high, which is why we conceded the second goal. That’s the risk for the defenders and I think Eric was unlucky.”
The Spurs fanbase voiced their anger at their side’s first half performance, with boos ringing around the stadium at half-time.
The Spurs boss on the half-time boos:
“First of all I think we have to show a great respect all the time for our fans. They are our fans and they pay their tickets. At the same time, if you ask me, if I was a bit disappointed, yes. Yes because it’s important in every moment to be honest and I think I always continue to repeat, we have just started a process.”
The Lilywhites came out the traps quickly at the start of the second half, but Jurgen Klopp’s men resisted the Spurs onslaught.
The momentum then swung in Tottenham’s direction after the introduction of Dejan Kuluseveki and Matt Doherty, in the 68th minute.
Kuluseveki – who made his first appearance since September – stamped his impact on the game instantaneously, setting up Harry Kane’s goal in the 70th minute.
Conte on Kuluseveki’s return:
“The fans were happy, but I was the first to be happy. Lucas was missing a lot, Richarlison is missing, now Sonny. When Tottenham is missing these players it’s not like other clubs. Tottenham can’t afford to lose all these important players. We are managing the situation in the best possible way.”
Tottenham lacked thrust in the final third throughout the game. With Ivan Perisic trying his luck as a makeshift forward, but it was clear to viewers that Spurs massively missed Son’s pace in behind.
Conte on Son’s injury absence:
“With Sonny, I sent him a message after the surgery. Sonny was really, really disappointed with this situation but I hope for him to recover very well and to play in the World Cup because I was a player and I know the importance of the World Cup. He missed us tonight. I’m confident that he can come back quickly and play in the World Cup. He’s not in hospital now he’s home.”
Fortune favours the bold !!!
An diabolical back pass?
I thought playing all first halves with nothing but back passes was itself diabolical.
Didn’t see the match. I’ve been traveling in Brazil. I’ll be watching the world cup here. Nothing quite like watch a world cup in O Brasil.
Anyway, it you live by playing the first half of every match practicing your back passing skills, it’s bound to catch up with you.
I’ll never be satisfied with a Spurs team that is playing this style, even if they start winning this way. It’s not worth it. And it ain’t working either.
Here’s hoping the Mr. Conte decide to move back to Italy. I do not like the way he’s set us up to play. It’s totally contrary to our ways.
By the way, it seems VS is a back passing site these days. It’s going to own goal its way out of existence if it keeps it up.
All traditions must pass.
I thought played a very decent game for around 3/4 we, were the dominant team.
We virtually gave them their 2nd goal (thanks ‘again’ Eric how many that)
The ref was certainly against us, we had a good call for a pen and several free kicks on their 18yds box refused.
We hit the post, the bar, and virtually encamped in their half from 60 mins.
For me it was, an heroic loss, reminiscent of Poch days.
Many have said its not about losing its how you lose.
I thought we played well today, and we were robbed.
I totally agree, ND.
Yet again, this one is on Conte. This is not the Liverpool team of previous years. If we had gone at them from the start rather than wait until the second half they would have crumbled. In previous seasons if Liverpool were two nil up it was game over. They would more than likely have gone on to score more but right now they are fragile.
But Conte the coward doesn’t have it in him to take chances (all the best teams play with bravery). He goes on about the fans and club needing patience but he refuses to commit to the club himself. Why should we be patient when we know he will be looking for a way out himself as soon as the going gets too tough.
Sorry, Niall whilst I accept we didn’t get the breaks I don’t believe it was a heroic loss but one of our own making
We can certainly question why we started on the back foot again. It’s a worry.
Having said that, I struggle to fault our approach too much. Even in the first half, we hit the post,should have had a penalty, and created chances. We were missing plenty of players too.
We were undone by individual mistakes. No manager is coaching that. We can complain about many games this season but this isn’t one of them.
Dier apparently doesn’t want to go to the WC after alll!
In my book Conte is the right manager for us but his overly cautious approach is costing us. Be bold, at least on own patch. LiVARpool came with NO away wins. Sitting back, seeing how they play and then to react tactically reeks of a small team mentality.
Being openly critical of VAR is also taunting the powers that are. Unfortunately we play by their rules. I believe two penalties would have accorded if the teams were reversed yesterday. Sessegnon was blatantly shoved in the back and Moura was kicked in the face. Certain teams know they can get away with it and use it. Status quo suggest that we are not one of those teams. VAR at some point was looking for a possible handball by Dier, go figure. Some say that we are unlucky like that.
Finally did we impose our game on them yesterday ? Or a team with no away win decided to hold to what they had, being 0-2 up and let us have the ball ? Like what happened at the Cherries’.
Points taken, but was it realistic to expect us to impose our game on Liverpool with so many of our big players missing? The same game with Romero, Son and Kulusevski all fit might have seen us approach the game very differently. Any team in the world woll suffer when arguably 3 of their best 5 players are missing.
100 %
BS
I just thought we were a much better side yesterday.
Yep still slow start, but we did take it to them and indeed, I do think they had the old red bus on the pitch at the end.
Given our depleted side, including those you mentioned and indeed Richi.
We were front foot, we gave them a goal, and indeed were ribbed by VAR and Officials.
I still don’t/can’t understand how TAA fouling Sessegnon in the box isn’t a penalty, but TAA fouling Sessegnon outside the box 5 minutes later is a foul. The definition of inconsistency.
BS your query and don’t understand why TAA foul in the box isn’t a pen yet his foul outside is, answer mate….bias ref! simple as that!
Plus why wasn’t TAA yellow carded for persistant fouls.
What about the non-pen high kick by Thaigo on Lucas, anywhere else on the pitch that’s a foul.
As Niall, I thought we played well for approx 70% of the game, everything went against us, luck, bloody ref and VAR.
And to think we had a weakened team. COYS