Tottenham Hotspur’s defending was in the spotlight following their 3-2 loss to Southampton. After having a 2-1 lead against the Saints, the north London club allowed Mohamed Elyounoussi and Che Adams to score in less than five minutes.
Southampton had 23 total shots, with 10 hitting the target, so it was a rough Wednesday night for the Spurs defense. After the match, manager Antonio Conte spoke at his press conference, where Football.London relayed his remarks.
Conte had to answer regarding what went wrong with the defending by his squad, considering the number of shots allowed and the breakdown in those five minutes resulting in the two goals by The Saints.
“For sure we have to be disappointed because after our first half where we struggled a lot and I think they were good, but I think we made many, many mistakes, many mistakes, especially with the ball. I think this type of situation created a bit of instability, mental instability in my team, especially in the first half,” Conte said.
“In the second half, we started to play, we started to press in the right way, and I didn’t change anything compared to the first half. In the second half, we did well, we scored, and then you have to be more good to defend because I have seen the two goals, and we conceded twice with the defensive line that stayed there.”
Despite the loss, Tottenham still has three games in hand on West Ham United, who occupies that fourth spot with 40 points, and Spurs sit four points away. Nonetheless, they’ll need to avoid these types of performances to stay in the fight for a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.