‘That is shocking’: Tottenham man told to ‘look at himself’ to solve key issue

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Adrian Clarke has urged Antonio Conte to ‘look at himself’ to find a solution for Tottenham Hotspur’s recent run. Spurs have only won two of their last seven Premier League matches.

The one-time Arsenal midfielder also feels Tottenham’s defensive deficiencies under Conte have been ‘shocking’ in recent weeks. They have now conceded two or more goals in each of their past seven top-flight fixtures following a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day.

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Tottenham have been porous at the back since beating Everton 2-0 on October 15 to rank third in the table. They were also just a point off the top spot held by Arsenal but now trail their north London rivals by 13 points. Spurs, now in fifth, have also played a match more.

Only AFC Bournemouth and Leeds United have failed to take any points against Tottenham since Spurs beat Everton. Both were high-scoring affairs, as well, with Conte’s side winning 2-3 at the Cherries on October 29 and beating the Whites 4-3 at home come November 11.

Their last seven games show a considerable step backwards in their defensive record over their first 10 fixtures this term. Tottenham had only allowed 10 goals in 10 games and won in seven to one loss. Yet they have now let in 25 goals in 17 games, lost five and won nine.

Clarke urges Conte to ‘look at himself’ to solve Tottenham’s Premier League form

Clarke adamantly believes Conte should ‘look at himself’ to find a solution to Tottenham’s defensive plight in the Premier League. He feels the Italian’s recent decisions are as much to blame for any individual players’ mistakes, with Hugo Lloris one deserving of criticism.

“Why is Antonio Conte getting a free pass right now?” Clarke has pondered on talkSPORT. “That’s the question I’d ask. All the Spurs fans are hammering Daniel Levy and the board and whatnot but he’s got to look at himself tactically.

“Seven games in a row they have conceded at least two goals in the Premier League – that is shocking. You have to say that the organisation of the team has not been as good as it should have been.

“Hugo Lloris is consistently making mistakes but [Conte] hasn’t really made any decisions on [his goalkeeper]. Creatively they have got issues. The squad has lacked a creative player for years, probably since Christian Eriksen left the club.”

Per WhoScored, Tottenham attempted six shots against Aston Villa with just two on target to their visitor’s four from 13. But Spurs did attempt 15 with eight on target as they drew 2-2 at Brentford. They also sent five of their 14 on target to Liverpool’s six from 13 in a 2-1 loss.