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By Martin Graham | 19th Mar 2023

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte gave a rather shocking interview and assessment about his Tottenham after watching his side drop points from a very comfortable position.

The Italian Tottenham manager watched his side drop two precious points despite holding a 3-1 lead against Southampton at St Marys in the second half.

A win for Spurs should have seen them close further ground on securing a top-four spot but instead, their season continues to go from bad to worse as a late penalty from James Ward-Prowse saw them play out to a disappointing 3-3 draw against the Saints.

Spurs are now in danger of missing out on Champions League football for next season, despite currently occupying fourth spot.

Liverpool, Newcastle and Brighton all have games in hand over Tottenham, who continue to be plagued by inconsistent performances.

And Conte failed to hold back following the full-time whistle, as blasted his players, before asking why the club haven’t been successful under chairman Daniel Levy.

Conte issues damning assessment of Tottenham players and ownership

Speaking to Match of the Day, he said: “The problem is we have shown we are not a team. We are 11 players.

“I see selfish players. I see players that don’t want to help each other, don’t play with heart.”

In his post-match press conference, he raged: “It is the same every season, no matter who the manager is. They’re used to it here.”

“Don’t play for something important. They don’t want to play under pressure. They don’t want to play under stress.

“Tottenham’s story is this. 20 years there is the owner and they never won something. Why?”

And when asked whether his players are fighting for him, he stated: “They have to play for the fans, for the club out on the pitch, not for me.

“They have to play to show that they are a team, they have to play to have the right spirit, sense of belonging and to show they have a responsibility for the badge, not for me or my staff.”

“It’s one year that we are continuing to try and transfer this message, but I think that they are not understanding.”

“Maybe we are not so good at transferring the message, or maybe they are not so good to play at this level.”

It remains to be seen how chairman Daniel Levy would react to this controversial interview but the writing on the wall hints that Conte’s days as Spurs manager are numbered.

Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer

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