Antonio Conte has spoken to Tottenham’s hierarchy about his rant in the aftermath of the 3-3 draw with Southampton on Saturday.
Conte was furious after Spurs were held at St Mary’s, accusing his players of being ‘selfish’ and not wanting to play for trophies because of the ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’.
‘This is the first time in my career to see a situation like this,’ Conte said during his rant, which lasted nearly 10 minutes.
‘Because they are used to this here. Don’t play for something important. The players don’t want to play under pressure. They don’t want to play under stress. It’s easy this way.
‘And Tottenham’s story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they’ve never won something. Why? The fault is only for the club or for every manager that stays here?
‘And I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and protect the other situation in every moment.
‘Until now I try to hide the situation. But now no, because I do not want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable. Also for the respect of the fans – they follow us, pay the tickets and to see the team, another time, to have this type of performance again is unacceptable. We have to think a lot about this.’
However, both The Times and Football London reported on Sunday that Conte has sought to clarify his comments to Tottenham’s hierarchy as he claimed his comments were aimed squarely at the players.
Conte, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is expected to leave Spurs this summer.
First appear at Antonio Conte speaks to Tottenham board about his rant after Southampton draw
