Jamie O’Hara has insisted that Antonio Conte must take full responsibility for the decisions he has made both on and off the pitch since he became Tottenham’s head coach, rather than trying to blame others.
Despite making wholesale changes to the squad by offloading several people and bringing 11 new players in through the door during his time at the club, Conte took aim at his squad in a completely unhinged manner following their 3-3 draw against Southampton.
The Italian accused the players of playing for themselves and lacking the ability to cope with pressure and he also suggested that Spurs are used to failure over the last two decades (Football.London).
While O’Hara admitted that the Tottenham hierarchy are deserving of criticism, he insisted that Conte has to take responsibility for the ‘diabolical’ football he has served at the club.
The former Spurs midfielder said on talkSPORT: “Daniel Levy doesn’t pick the team, Daniel Levy doesn’t instil a mentality to the players, Daniel Levy doesn’t rest Harry Kane in an FA Cup much, Daniel Levy doesn’t play a 3-4-3 formation.
“I don’t disagree with criticism of Levy and I’ve said it before about taking the club forward, he hasn’t helped, he hasn’t brought in the best players, but the comments of Conte.
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“I don’t disagree with the comments about passion, the desire to win, the mentality of the players, but it’s how he said it, where he’s said it, and the timing of it.
“I can’t get behind a manager slaughtering his team when an international break is coming up and he’s basically saying to Levy ‘I beg you to sack me.
“He rested Harry Kane in an FA Cup game, we lost that game, the performance was pathetic. He dug the players out after that and I have no problem with that because it was pathetic.
“Then you go and lose against AC Milan, another pathetic performance, but they are his tactics as well.
“Yes the players haven’t been good enough, they haven’t stepped up and some have gone missing but he’s to blame as well, these are his tactics and it’s diabolical football to watch.”
O’Hara questioned how the Italian can absolve himself of any blame for some of Spurs’ recent results.
Reacting to Conte’s rant on Saturday, the pundit said: “I’m all for ballsy managers pushing the envelope. This is a world-class lack of self-awareness.
“This team , your team, loses to Sheffield United, Wolves, knocked out by average Milan, average against poor Forest and draw against Southampton. That’s nothing to do with you.”
Spurs Web Opinion
If the attitude of the Tottenham squad is as poor as Conte suggests, then there is no doubt that he deserves a lot of the blame for it. This is not the squad that the 53-year-old inherited.
He has got rid of a whole host of players, with the club even deciding to forgo transfer fees and loan out many of them.
Around half the squad are his signings. So, it reflects poorly on his own decision-making.
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