Antonio Conte has admitted that he is trying to change the ‘Spursy’ tag and added that his players will not underestimate Norwich City ahead of Sunday’s clash.
As Tottenham fans will be well aware, the term ‘Spursy’ has been coined to refer to the Lilywhites’ soft underbelly and their tendency to grab defeats from the jaws of victory.
Spurs have been accused of ‘bottling’ many big moments over recent years, including the title race against Leicester in the 2015/16 season and the Champions League final in 2019.
However, this season, Tottenham have shown a fantastic fighting spirit to keep themselves in the race for Champions League qualification despite suffering setbacks.
Spurs now only need a point in their final game of the season to secure fourth place – an objective that looked unattainable a couple of months ago.
Conte admitted, however, that there are no easy games in the Premier League and that his players will not underestimate what the Canaries can offer.
When asked about the ‘Spursy’ tag and about Tottenham being capable of throwing it away at Carrow Road, the Italian told Football.London: “I am trying to cut this. We have to show on Sunday the development in this aspect.
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“I don’t forget in the past what happened, I remember Manchester City in the last game when they were losing against QPR…in England, it is not easy.
“I remember when City lost the FA Cup against Wigan. Football is beautiful, especially for these reasons. You start 0-0 if you don’t start with the right concentration and focus anything can happen.
“We know very well the importance of the game we prepare very well and the focus has to be massive for everybody if someone thinks the situation is easy I am not that person and I don’t transfer these thoughts to my players.”
“Football is beautiful for this reason because it is unpredictable, if you don’t go with 100 per cent focus you risk to lose, especially in England. Everton and Crystal Palace was incredible, 2-0…we have to pay attention but we work a lot to arrive mentally strong at this appointment.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Tottenham have tended to bottle big moments over recent decades, I do not believe the tag of ‘Spursy’ is particularly fair.
The reality is that Spurs are arguably the most hated club in the Premier League, with Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham all considering us their main rivals.
So, Tottenham tend to get more stick than other clubs when they do throw results away from winning positions.
However, over the last five to six years, it has been Arsenal who have bottled a top-four finish on multiple occasions.
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