Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League hopes fading quickly after damaging Burnley defeat
Very little has changed at Tottenham Hotspur despite the arrival of Antonio Conte. The Italian manager is a proven winner, but even he hasn’t found it easy in North London.
Spurs are still largely inconsistent, and continue to struggle to put together a run of successive wins. Their 3-2 victory last week over Manchester City was impressive, but it hasn’t taken long for Tottenham to be brought down to earth.
Conte’s side suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday evening. That diminishes their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season.
Despite dominating possession, Spurs had just two shots on target as a second-half header from Ben Mee sealed victory for Sean Dyche’s relegation-battling team.
Full-time. https://t.co/VBdaiDpwSE
Spurs suffer fourth reverse in five Premier League games
A the start of February, Tottenham Hotspur had a good chance of challenging for a top-three place, due to their many outstanding Premier League games.
However, a poor run of form has seen them fritter away that advantage. Spurs have now lost four of their last five league games as they slip to eighth in the points table.
Conte’s frustration was visible when he spoke after his team’s latest defeat to Burnley. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss might have underestimated the task at hand when he first arrived in north London late last year.
He wanted a few signings in the January transfer window, but only got two. Clearly, Tottenham’s squad needs an overhaul, and unless the manager is backed with reinforcements, they will likely continue to struggle.
Conte is currently facing exactly what Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho endured at the club. The aforementioned duo are good coaches, but failed at Tottenham because they were not adequately backed in the transfer market.
Spurs' last five Premier League games:
◎ Chelsea 2-0 Spurs
◎ Spurs 2-3 Southampton
◎ Spurs 0-2 Wolves
◉ Man City 2-3 Spurs
◎ Burnley 1-0 Spurs
Their only win is against the reigning champions. 🙃 https://t.co/Xrgui9hqbl
Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four hopes receding quickly
Tottenham Hotspur are currently seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. With two games in hand, they are still in contention for a top-four finish. However, their sloppy recent form, coupled with defeat to Burnley on Wednesday means their chances of qualifying for the Champions League are receding quickly.
"It was a difficult night. It's not only tonightl in the last five games we lost four games,” Conte lamented after the game, as quoted by Sky Sports. "It means there will be (an) assessment about the club, about me, because I think, for me, it is very frustrating to lose four out of five."
"For sure the situation speaks clear. I am really sorry for the fans, I am really sorry because I think they don't deserve this. But when you lose four out of five, it means the club have to make an assessment, also to speak together, and to understand which is the best solution.”
Conte hinted at his potential exit, saying:
"In this situation the players are always the same in this club, the club change coaches, but the players are the same, but the result doesn't change. I came here to help the club and if the problem could be the coach I'm ready to go, no problem."
The Italian already sounds like a broken record. His latest utterances only further highlight the wreck that is Tottenham Hotspur, as the club find themselves bottling yet another opportunity to qualify for Europe.