Antonio Conte has admitted that Tottenham players have not been able to keep their composure under pressure this season and revealed that it is an aspect he is working on with the squad.
Following their 4-1 loss against Leicester City on Saturday, Spurs now have the unenviable record of having conceded more goals than any other side in the top half of the Premier League table.
That is a far cry from what one generally associates with Conte’s sides, who tend to be well-drilled defensively.
The Spurs head coach admitted that some players have not been able to cope with difficult moments in games and explained that it is something he has discussed extensively behind the scenes.
When asked what Tottenham are lacking at the moment, the Italian told Football.London: “I think we will get this answer tomorrow, it will be much easier to find the right answer tomorrow. Trying to forecast the future today is impossible. I think we are lacking that stability, it is always crucial.
“If you want to win or achieve some targets and have a good position in the Champions League or in England in the Premier League you have to be stable. And this stability is lacking this year.
“I always talk about it with my players. It is very difficult to keep concentration, it is very difficult to stay focused all of the time.
“We are working on that, playing under pressure all of the time is good for some players and bad for others.
“Sometimes players feel motivated other times feel so much under pressure that they can’t perform. Maybe for a period, they have a good performance and then they collapse all of a sudden if they feel too much pressure.
“We are working on this, we want to make our players more resilient but there are also external factors like injuries for very important players for us, and those injuries influence the team, influence the growing evolution of the Championship.”
Conte insisted that there is no clear favourite between Tottenham and Milan, pointing out that cup competitions are simply about which team performs better on the day and that a stroke of luck is needed to go far in a competition like the Champions League.
When asked if Spurs are favourites, the Italian responded: “I don’t think there is a team with more chances than the other.
“It is such a level, the teams have the same chances of winning and losing. We need to be lucky enough to get there with the right physical condition and top-quality players.
“In those cases, you are favourite and have more chances. In the national championship, it is easier because you play 40 games and if you have a bad game you can recover.
“On the other hand in the Champions League the competition is shorter you have direct games that you need to win.
“You didn’t have time to recover, you need to be lucky enough to get there in the right physical condition and with the right players available otherwise, everything gets complicated.
“It is the same for everybody, I am not making reference to AC Milan or Tottenham, I am talking about every team. That is why the Champions League is so difficult.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I genuinely believe that if you offered Conte a narrow defeat like 1-0 or 2-1 before this evening’s game, he would consider taking it. With the injuries we have, it is important not to lose the tie at the San Siro and to still be in with a fighting chance when they come to London for the second leg.