Andy Robertson has stated that Antonio Conte got a reaction out of his Tottenham Hotspur players in the second half of their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, after fans booed their own team off at half-time.
The Liverpool left-back noted Spurs fans booing at the break and how they were ‘always going to be in our faces’ when they came back out after a talking to from Conte, as he told Sky Sports.
That’s exactly what happened, and in truth, it has been the story of Tottenham’s season.
It’s one thing, coming out and only playing forward-thinking football against Bournemouth in the second half, but you aren’t going to get away with it against Liverpool.
Yes, Jurgen Klopp’s side have had it worse than Spurs this season, but they have still managed to win the big games, including in the Champions League.
Robertson praised his teammates for ‘digging deep’ and closing the gap on the Champions League places with the 2022 World Cup around the corner.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think we could have been better on the ball,” said Robertson. “I think we could have tried to control the game a bit better.
“But, at the end of the day, you are coming away to a top-six team, who have just been booed off at half-time. They have a manager that expects reactions and I think they got that.
“They were always going to be a bit more in our faces, but I think we stood up to it. We could have been a bit better on the ball. We could have got Mo, Darwin and Bobby a bit more on the ball, but it was about digging deep – and an all-round good performance.”
TOTTENHAM’S PROBLEMS
That’s another game for Spurs against the so-called better sides and yet another defeat.
Even when they secured a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, during that confrontation between Conte and Thomas Tuchel, the feeling was that they were fortunate to get a point.
Newcastle United, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham and Arsenal have all beaten or avoided defeat against the London club.
This simply can’t continue heading into the second half of the campaign, or else the team will only continue to slide.
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