Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes Antonio Conte must take his share of the blame after the Spurs manager’s explosive comments.
Tottenham had a 3-1 lead against relegation-threatened Southampton with 15 minutes remaining in their Premier League encounter, but they collapsed to draw 3-3 late.
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Spurs disastrously threw away a two-goal lead
Conte was furious after the game
Conte launched a sensational attack on his players in the media after the match, saying they are “selfish” and don’t “want to play under pressure”.
He then met chairman Daniel Levy and owner Joe Lewis, saying, “20 years ago the owner and they never won anything. For what?”
talkSPORT host O’Hara was at Spurs when they last won the trophy in 2008 and agreed with much of what Conte said about the players’ mentality.
However, he couldn’t stand the Italian blaming it all on himself.
He began: “Daniel Levy doesn’t pick the team, Daniel Levy doesn’t instill a mentality in the players, Daniel Levy doesn’t rest Harry Kane much in an FA Cup, Daniel Levy doesn’t play a 3-4-3 formation .
“I don’t disagree with Levy’s criticism and I’ve said this before about moving the club forward, he didn’t help, he didn’t bring in the best players, but Conte’s comments …
O’Hara couldn’t believe what he saw
“I don’t disagree with the comments about the passion, the desire to win, the mentality of the players, but it’s how he said it, where he said it and when he said it. said.
“I can’t be behind a manager who slaughters his team when an international break approaches and he basically says to Levy ‘I’m begging you to fire me’.”
Spurs would end the season without a trophy again, leaving the Carabao Cup early and the FA Cup later for the Sheffield United Championship with Harry Kane on the bench.
They then followed up by leaving the Champions League at the hands of a much less fanciful AC Milan, and their four best hopes are threatened.
Although Conte blames only his players and employers, O’Hara thinks he hasn’t covered himself in glory.
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Levy deserves criticism, but so does Conte, says O’Hara
“He rested Harry Kane in an FA Cup game, we lost that game, the performance was pathetic,” O’Hara explained.
“He took the players out after that and I have no problem with that because it was pathetic.
“Then you’re going to lose to AC Milan, another pathetic performance, but that’s also his tactic.
“Yes, the players haven’t been good enough, they haven’t stepped up and some have disappeared, but he’s also to blame, it’s his tactics and it’s evil football to watch.”
Simon Jordan, another talkSPORT host, later added his thoughts, slamming Conte’s press conference meltdown.
“I’m all for brave managers who push the envelope,” he said. It’s a world-class lack of self-awareness.
“This team, your team, lose to Sheffield United, Wolves, knocked out by average Milan, average to poor Forest and draw against Southampton.
“It has nothing to do with you…”
