Pundit criticises Conte for one uninspiring moment in Spurs draw at Brentford

Jamie Redknapp has criticised Antonio Conte’s decision to replace Ryan Sessegnon with Davinson Sanchez as Tottenham were held to a 0-0 draw against Brentford. 

Spurs, needing a win to maintain their position in the Premier League top four, instead produced a flat display in West London as they did in last week’s defeat to Brighton. 

In attempting to change the dynamic of the performance, Conte elected to switch up his personnel with the game still finely poised in the second half. 

The 52-year-old’s first change saw Sessegnon, who had a tough evening at wing-back, come off for central defender Sanchez after 74 minutes with Ben Davies moving into the wide left instead. 

Unfortunately, the shift did not offer Spurs anything extra in the end, as the match ended in a stalemate and Spurs now have to make up two points on fourth-placed Arsenal. 

And the substitution has been criticised by Redknapp, who felt the switch lacked inspiration as Spurs were ‘too predictable’ in the match.

He said (via Football Daily): “I think as a player sometimes you go, ‘OK, let’s try a different system, let’s give them a problem.’

“He made the one substitution, he brought on Sanchez and put Davies to wing-back and you think, well that’s not really an inspiring substitution. 

“Maybe go to a flat back four, get [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son closer together, just give them a different problem. Because in two games, to be so poor, after playing so well before that. 

“It was a masterclass every week in attacking football. I think as a coach you’ve got to go, ‘Let’s try something different’ because they were too predictable today Spurs.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

That Spurs performance was the last thing Spurs needed with a place in the Champions League next season on the line. That specific substitution being Conte’s first was a bit baffling considering Spurs needed a goal and, as expected, it did not yield any positive changes in the end. 

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