Jamie Carragher spots moment Tottenham players looked confused after Conte substitution

Follow us on Google Discover

Jamie Carragher was left baffled by Tottenham Hotspur after teammates seemed confused by Lucas Moura’s position against Newcastle United.

Tottenham hosted Newcastle on Sunday afternoon and were hoping for a win having lost 2-0 to Manchester United in midweek.

Antonio Conte couldn’t get back on track though, falling 2-0 down in the first half as Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron found the net.

Harry Kane did give Tottenham hope with a second-half header but Newcastle held on for the 2-1 win.

Jamie Carragher was left baffled by Tottenham

Two defeats in a row have left Tottenham fans worrying about their real prospects this season.

The absences of Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison have really hit Tottenham hard and they look very stale going forward.

Lucas Moura is back from injury but Conte clearly doesn’t feel he is ready to be starting for Tottenham yet.

The Brazilian did come off the bench to feature against Newcastle but his introduction left Jamie Carragher baffled.

Carragher noted that Moura coming on just seemed to confuse matters in Tottenham’s attack.

Carragher told Sky Sports (23/10, 67mins) that Son Heung-min looked to be asking Moura where was playing and Moura himself was looking towards the bench for clarification.

“Lucas Moura almost feels like he’s gone to a number 10 position behind a front two,” said Carragher. “The players are looking at each other, Son’s asking him where he’s playing, he keeps looking at the bench, Lucas Moura, looks like he’s not 100% sure,” he added.

Moura couldn’t really change the game for Tottenham and it certainly doesn’t sound great that there was so much confusion.

It can of course be difficult to get instructions onto the pitch but Moura was surely brief on his exact role and position before heading onto the pitch.

That he and others seemed so confused just sums up Tottenham’s problems in the final third right now.

Conte needs to work not only on how his attacking starts are playing, but also how his substitutions can impact the game and – as a bare minimum – know their roles.