Antonio Conte believes Tottenham Hotspur are 'going in the right direction' despite recent struggles in the Premier League.

Spurs face Fulham on Monday night and will be aiming to prevent three league losses in a row against London rivals.

The two sides occupy 5th and 6th in the table, providing an added incentive to the London derby.

Conte confirmed that some of his players are struggling with fatigue, but there are no new injury concerns after their 4-2 defeat to Manchester City.

Meanwhile, he also called on his players to show more desire in the crucial moments.

  • Team news

The Lilywhites have suffered with injuries lately.

Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur have all suffered major injuries in the opening half of the season.

It has heavily contributed to Spurs’ struggles in the league, showing the reliance the North London side have on the former Serie A trio.

However, Conte confirmed there are no new injury concerns from their disappointing defeat at the Etihad Stadium,, only fatigue within the squad.

He said: “It is difficult to answer because we only played last night. I think no, but any day, something can happen.

"You need time, especially with the medical department, to make an evaluation. I hope no [more injuries].

"We finished with all the players, but they are tired, especially the ones that are recovering from injuries, like Kulusevski and Bentancur, but it is only fatigue.”

  • Progress from last season

Spurs were bitterly disappointed to lose 4-2 to the Premier League champions in Manchester on Thursday night.

After taking a 2-0 lead through Kulusevski and Emerson Royal, the Lilywhites collapsed in the second half, which saw them concede three goals in quick succession.

Individual errors contributed heavily to their collapse, with Ivan Perisic, Hugo Lloris and Clement Lenglet all making major mistakes.

It has been a recurring theme in N17 recently.

Despite the mistakes, Conte believed there was progress in their performance from last season.

Spurs completed a stunning 3-2 win at the Etihad stadium last year, but the Italian believed they were lucky last season, and less so on Thursday.

He said: “I think that we are doing progress in some aspects. In other aspects, I think we have to comeback like last season and to be a bit more solid, a bit more focused and a bit more nasty.

"Because in my opinion, we have improved in many aspects, we are scoring goals, creating chances and our organisation to press was much better than last season."

"Last season, they had 75% possession and created a lot of chances. We were clearly lucky, but at the same time, we were really good to stay there, to suffer and to win the game.

"This season, I think we played a good game, a game that a team like Tottenham should be prepared to play.

"It was face to face and open, but at the same time, we created chances and scored 2 goals.

"But, at the same time, we need to find the solidarity of last season, and to be able to suffer. I think that we are going in the right direction from my experience.”

  • Tottenham's 'big six' troubles

The Italian suggested that there has been a recurring theme against the best sides in the league this season.

Spurs are yet to beat one of the ‘big six’ sides in the league this season, with a draw against Chelsea being their only point.

It is concerning for a side who have ambitions of winning trophies, which is why Conte wants to improve that aspect, especially defensively.

He said: “The progress from what I see doesn’t depend on the result, because during the process when you start, you are at a level.

"In my opinion, if we want to become a strong team, we need to show in every game to be able to get the result. In this season, many times it has been up and down.

"We lost all the games against the big sides apart from Chelsea. This is our target, to continue to progress.

"Players need to play with personality, with a will and a desire to have the ball, to create chances and to press. In this situation, the progress will lead to a good result.

"Compared to last season, we are doing less. To concede 21 goals in our last 10 games is usual for a relegation side. We must find the balance to continue to improve the positive situation and to turn the season.”

  • Feeling the pressure?

Many expected Spurs to challenge for major honours this season.

Yet, unless something drastically improves, it will be another trophyless season for the Lilywhites.

Defensive blunders and a lack of flexibility have been the main problems for Spurs, leading to some questioning the Italian’s position as head coach.

Conte said he is frustrated with results, but believed progress can still be made in the second half of the season.

He said: “Honestly for sure when you are losing it can be frustrating.

"A clever person has to understand which is the situation, the moment, what we can reach, and what we can do to change the situation. The situation compared to my past is different."

"My task is to help the club, to create a solid foundation, to improve step by step, and to then fight for something important.

"You have to put your heart, mind, and head into the possibility of losing games more than the past because of the process. You need patience, you need time.

"The players are doing everything to try and improve, I know that we need time to improve and to become stronger than now.

"Our next target is to get three points. We know that in England, there are some really strong teams, so we must find the solidity and to stop conceding so many goals.

"We made a fantastic achievement last season, but we were only focused on the league. This season, we had four competitions. It takes a lot of energy.”

VAVEL Logo
About the author