Antonio Conte slammed by pundit after Tottenham update ‘no one will want to hear’
The pursuit of a top-four finish is “far from over” for Tottenham despite Antonio Conte’s pessimistic comments, according to Noel Whelan.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the 52-year-old should be sending out a more “positive” message with Champions League qualification still well within Spurs’ reach.
Speaking to beIN Sports (16 February), Conte suggested he feels a “1% possibility” for Tottenham to secure a top-four finish this season and claimed the January transfer window “weakened the squad”.
Spurs have recorded three straight league defeats and face a trip to league leaders Man City tomorrow (19 February).
Whelan claimed the “belief and energy levels” have dropped off since Conte’s arrival in November.
“I don’t think anyone associated with Tottenham will want to hear that,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“It’s a very honest assessment of things, but their season is far from over and dusted. They’ve got games in hand which could put them into the top four so it’s strange to hear that.
“It’s just a lack of consistency in performances at the moment.
“But let’s be honest – they’re not out of it. You’d think the manager would still be coming out with the right words, the positive words.
“The belief and energy levels have just depleted compared to what they were when he came in. That’s the Premier League – you’ve got to be near bang on every week to be successful.”
Tottenham are just seven points outside the top four reckoning with three games in hand on fourth-place Man United.
Football Insider revealed today (18 February) that Paris Saint-Germain are actively monitoring Conte’s future as they line up a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino.
In other news, pundit predicts Spurs star could be frozen out of the side after transfer update.