Spurs have thrown away a 3-1 lead with just 15 minutes remaining against Southampton, leading many to question if Antonio Conte should even bother seeing out the season. While the injury-time penalty that ultimately cost Spurs victory may have been soft, it doesn’t change the fact that Spurs’ performance was unsatisfactory and not a one-off.
Spurs’ top-four challenge has been built on the surprising rubbishness of Liverpool and Chelsea, and the unsurprising greatness of Harry Kane, who has managed to turn the base metal of Tottenham’s football into gold. However, their football is now even more bereft of joy and ambition than it was under Mourinho, and the tactical instruction is at a level of non-existence not seen since Tim Sherwood and his gilet.
Conte may point to the soft penalty, but it distracts and deflects from the fact that Spurs really are an awful spectacle. They are a team and club rotting from its head, with every single player responsible for their failure to cement a top-four spot.
It’s been clear for weeks that Conte wants to be sacked and walk away with the payoff. The club should give him what he wants, as his mere presence is becoming toxic. Spurs’ relatively decent run a few weeks ago coincided with Conte’s absence, and increasingly that appears like it was no coincidence.
Spurs had the chance to cement a top-four spot going into the international break with a run of three games against relegation battlers. However, they lost shambolically at Wolves, beat Forest unconvincingly, and then produced a disgrace of a performance in response to Newcastle’s hard-earned Friday night win at the City Ground.
It’s hard to see April being any different under an uninterested, unimaginative, and unapologetic manager who doesn’t have the answers to questions he isn’t even asking. It’s time for Spurs to give Conte what he wants and start looking for a manager who can bring back the joy and ambition to their football.
