Tottenham fan Reshmin Chowdhury: We lack identity as a team, but who could replace Antonio Conte?

Presenter Reshmin Chowdhury discusses her beloved Tottenham’s struggles so far this season, fans’ feelings about Spurs boss, Antonio Conte and whether Hugo Lloris still has what it takes.

Can Spurs move on from Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal by winning at Manchester City tonight?

They’re beatable – but so are we! It’s an intriguing one, with both teams losing their respective derbies. City will be a wounded animal after the defeat at Old Trafford and we have a good record against them – but at Spurs there is a real malaise that seems to have set in for some time now.

Just look at the way we start matches. There are square pegs in round holes and the bench isn’t strong enough. But then, I would never have bet on us getting into the Champions League last season and we did.

What’s going on? Are there are any positives?

We lack identity as a team. The two constants right now are we play better in the second half of matches and Harry Kane is consistently scoring goals. But there are some promising signs. Dejan Kulusevski is back after injury and others will follow. There’s still time to turn the season around if we can get everyone back and firing but we need to start the process ASAP!

Are fans frustrated with the perceived negativity of Antonio Conte?

I think they are right to demand more. I feel Mauricio Pochettino identified the need for a ‘painful’ rebuild at the right time. But while elite managers in Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte have followed, we haven’t progressed. We were on the precipice of success under Poch and the painful truth is Arsenal are everything we could or should have been. They are the blueprint now.

So Conte’s not going anywhere just yet then?

I’m a massive Conte fan but it’s a tricky situation. There seems to be an impasse between him, the hierarchy and even a few fans. I trust in his ability to pull us through in the present but there is a bigger problem of a long-term plan for the club as a whole. That’s where the real issue lies and it is a process that requires a lot of patience and a lot of commitment.

Is a change of manager the answer, then?

Who else, though? Of course, Poch is the romantic option, but is he really the answer? Whoever comes in now will need just as much time to rebuild the team. It’s clear cracks have appeared all over again this season, just like in 2019. Maybe Conte thought he was getting the players to move the side on. Challenging for the top four is so tough now, with Newcastle contending and Manchester United on the way up.

Hugo Lloris made an error for Arsenal’s first goal. Is he still an elite keeper?

Internationally, yes he’s elite and he is a fantastic shot-stopper. But he has apparently made more errors leading to a goal (four) than any other Premier League player this season, which is such an unfortunate statistic for a World Cup winner.

He’s clearly going through a bad patch. It doesn’t help that we haven’t had a settled back- line. I love him as a guy, I rate him as a keeper and he does more good than he does bad.

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