Tottenham players ‘want Antonio Conte fired
Antonio Conte could have a Tottenham Hotspur mutiny on his hands after his extraordinary rant, Patrick Austen-Hardy reports for the Daily Star.
The Italian manager erupted into a fit of rage after Spurs let a 3-1 lead slip to draw 3-3 against Southampton. Conte raged at his players, the Tottenham board, and the mentality of the club as a whole over the course of a jaw-dropping four and a half minute rant in his post-match press conference.
The Italian’s future at the club has been extremely uncertain, due to the fact his contract is up at the end of the season. But in the wake of the outburst, many players within his ranks are reportedly hoping he will be let go by the club before that point.
Reports from The Sun suggest Spurs players believe Conte could be sacked before their next Premier League match against Everton on April 3. The majority of Conte’s squad has departed the club for the international break, linking up with their respective nations.
This time period will be pivotal, if the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager remains at the club. As well as his players, the fiery Italian also appeared to hit out at Spurs owner Joe Lewis and club chairman Daniel Levy.
“They don’t play for something important,” Conte said about his players. “They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.
“It is easy this way. Tottenham’s story is this. For 20 years there is the owner but they never won something. But why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here?
“I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. Until now I try to hide the situation but not now because, I repeat, I don’t want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable and also un- acceptable for the fans.”
While Tottenham are just about still in the top four, they went out of the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League without barely throwing a punch. They lost 2-0 against ten man Nottingham Forest to depart the Carabao Cup, were stunned by Sheffield United in the FA Cup, and failed to score a goal in either of their two legs against AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16.
