Conte towards Tottenham farewell: Antonio and those (almost always) stormy relationships with his clubs

These are decisive hours for Antonio Conte on the Spurs bench. After the draw with Southampton on 18 March 2023, the coach became furious: They’re used to it, they don’t play for something important, they don’t want to play under pressure, they are selfish. easy in this way – he began – the story of Tottenham this, for 20 years they have never won anything. I said I wanted to see fire in their eyes, in their hearts, and I didn’t see it. I wanted to see the right spirit. Not only in training, but also on the pitch because that’s where you make the difference. Conte didn’t even spare the journalists who asked him how much the uncertainty about his future may have influenced: Try to find an excuse for the players. They have lost their spirit, they have lost being a team. The rest are excuses. We have to be professional, the club pays us a lot of money. Players receive money and show no wit or sense of responsibility. For me this unacceptable, the first time in my career I see such a situation. I wasn’t able to change anything and compared to last season the situation got worse. We are eleven players who take the field, selfish players who don’t want to help themselves, who show no heart. We lost in the FA Cup to Sheffield United who were playing with young players.