Ryan Mason has insisted that Tottenham are aware of where they have to improve at the back but insisted that it is a collective issue rather than being down to individual errors.
Astonishingly, Spurs have conceded 57 goals so far this season, which is more than any other side in the top 12.
Despite the Lilywhites playing some enterprising, attacking football in the last two games against Manchester United and Liverpool, and scoring five goals in those matches, they only have a point to show for their efforts, owing to lapses at the back
The likes of Eric Dier have come in for plenty of criticism this season for errors he has made but Mason insisted that the issue is not down to individuals.
When asked about the England star’s form, the Spurs interim head coach told Football.London: “I think we had difficult moments as a team. I’m not going to single out any individuals because it’s a team game and we have to stick together in good moments and bad.
“We’ve conceded some goals, we’re aware of that. It’s a team problem, not individuals based. I don’t believe in singling out individuals. We need to work harder and be more together as a team, and work harder to try to get positive results.”
Tottenham sit in seventh place going into this weekend’s fixtures, with Champions League football seemingly out of their reach.
MORE SPURS STORIES
That has sparked some questions over whether the club would be better off missing out on Europe altogether rather than playing Europa League or Europa Conference League football next season.
When asked if the Conference League can be useful to blood youngsters next season, Mason responded: “At the end of the season that’s something we’ll speak about when we know the league table. I don’t want to speak about hypothetical situations because I don’t feel like it’s going to bring any good. We want to win games of football, starting tomorrow, that’s our focus, and we’re not going to veer away from that.
“In the past, yeah, it’s been an opportunity [to blood young players in the Conference League] but you have to earn that. It’s not just a case of giving out opportunities when players don’t earn it. The situation we’ll be in next season will be off the back of the next four games, we understand that and want to win games to feel as high as possible in the table.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Europa League qualification is still worth fighting for as it remains a prestigious competition and there is the potential for some big European nights if we get into the latter stages of it.
However, the Conference League is nothing more than a drain on our resources and I would not mind seeing us missing out on Europe altogether rather than playing in that competition.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
