Antonio Conte calls for patience as Tottenham ‘process’ suffers fresh setback
Spurs’ poor form has seen them lose ground in the battle for a top-four finish.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Antonio Conte has reiterated his calls for patience and to be given time to improve Tottenham after Thursday’s 4-2 Premier League defeat at Manchester City.
The boss highlighted his frustration with Spurs’ recent performances ahead of Monday’s trip to Fulham, where they will look to turn their form around.
Conte called Tottenham’s situation a “process” amidst murmurs of a potential exit from the club when his contract expires in the summer.
You need a process, you need patience, you need time
He said: “My task here is to build, to help the club and try again to build a solid foundation and then to improve step by step to become competitive and to fight for something important.
“I understand this and in the moment you understand this then for sure you have to put your heart, your mind, your head to (the fact you will) lose some games more than the past because you need a process.
“You need a process, you need patience, you need time and this is what I can tell you.
“The players are doing everything to try to improve themselves but I know that we need time to improve, to improve this process and to become stronger than now but if you ask me which is our target, the next target is to get three points.”
Tottenham have conceded 21 goals in their last 10 Premier League matches and Conte acknowledged that is the form of a team fighting relegation, not hoping for Champions League qualification.
The four goals shipped in one half at the Etihad has seen the Italian point to his team’s poor defensive record as the root of their problems, an area historically resolute in teams managed by him.
Conte said: “Compared to last season, we need to find the solidity, the desire, the will to defend strongly and not concede a goal.
“I repeat, the only situation I see worse than last season is the goals we conceded because we produce chances, we score and the problem is that we’re conceding many goals.”
A defeat on Monday could see Marco Silva’s side leapfrog Spurs in the table, denting their top-four hopes.