Tottenham's nightmare week hit a new low on Wednesday evening as their Champions League aspirations came to a sorry end. Following their embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield United a week ago and then their late defeat at Wolves three days later, Antonio Conte's Spurs side needed to deliver a performance to see them advance beyond AC Milan and to also stop their season from completely unravelling.
Separated by only one goal following their slender defeat in the San Siro three weeks earlier, it was all too easy for the Rossoneri as Tottenham produced a meek display and were devoid of ideas on such a crucial night for the football club, Conte and Daniel Levy. The team will rue not doing more to get the better of a side who were very much there for the taking after a such a poor start to 2023.
Tottenham needed urgency and enthusiasm in their display, two qualities that were severely lacking throughout the 180 minutes. Conte's men failed to lay a glove on their opponents in either match and deservedly exited the competition at the Round of 16 stage.
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The game and subsequent performance that was served up very much had a feel of two parties coming to the end of a cycle and about to go their separate ways. Mike Maignan in the AC Milan goal had nothing of note to do in the first half as Spurs failed to click in the final third.
Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, two of Tottenham's main players in Conte's side 12 months ago, did not impact proceedings whatsoever and could quite easily have been hooked at half-time by a different head coach. Conte, as he has done all season despite their form tailing off massively, persisted with them when instead the fresh legs and drive of Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma may have given the team and everyone else in the stadium a much-needed lift.
It was certainly worth a try with a place in the Champions League quarter-finals on the line. Instead, the duo remained on the pitch and the seconds ticked by with Spurs' European ambitions getting slimmer by the minute.
Finally forced into action by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg midway through the second half, Maignan was needed in stoppage time to stop Kane's header from creeping in. That was all Tottenham could muster and the reaction at the full-time whistle said it all with supporters crushed by another limp display and in disbelief at just how bad things have got.
They just knew what was coming going on the season to date and it really shouldn't be like that as Tottenham should be offering and doing so much more. Many are now counting down the days until next season and writing this one off completely.
Tottenham clearly need a change if they are to get back on track, both in terms of the starting XI and Levy's plans going forward as they simply cannot carry on like this. Conte's continued refusal to commit his long-term future to the club and the results over the past week very much signal that a change is in the offing at some point in the not too distant future.
A number of Tottenham fans even made their feelings perfectly clear when exiting the stadium on Wednesday evening as they chanted Mauricio Pochettino's name. That is a clear message to Levy regarding the managerial position and one that he cannot ignore.
Those calls for the Argentine, who is available at present as he is no longer in a job, will only grow louder if Spurs continue to struggle and their recent woes take a further turn for the worse. It is a question of when Levy makes his decision, though, as Spurs are still in a good position to secure another Champions League finish as they are three points ahead of Liverpool although they have played one game more.
Conte was asked about his future after the game and he even mentioned that Tottenham could potentially sack him before the season draws to a conclusion.
"My contract expires in June," he told Italian TV after the goalless draw. "We will see — they might sack me even before the end of the season, who knows, maybe they are disappointed."
When pushed on his future when speaking in his post-match press conference, Conte, as he has done numerous times this season, reiterated that it will be at the end of the term when he and the club will make a decision.
"This is not right day to speak about future but my future, I have a contract with Tottenham and then Tottenham know very well which is my thoughts and at the end of season we will meet and then we'll make a decision."
Asked if he could speak to Levy earlier, he replied: "No, but I think the situation is really clear. It's one year and three months since I've been the coach of Tottenham. I always say the same things. We need time and patience because in this moment we don't have a solid foundation to be competitive to fight to win in my opinion.
"We try to work, to understand which are the right players to continue to create a solid foundation and the transfer market to try to find the right solution to improve the team but at the moment the club knows very well which is my thoughts and I have a great relationship with my chairman, with Fabio Paratici but it doesn't mean that I don't tell them which is my vision you understand?
"Then we will see. Now we have to finish the season. I have a contract until June. I am happy to work in Tottenham but at the end will make a decision okay, but the club knows very well which is my vision, which are my thoughts about the situation."
Tottenham really are in a sorry state at present and change is needed. It is now over to Levy to decide exactly when that happens.
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