Antonio Conte hit back at his armchair critics here in Germany last night, offering a robust defence of his selections and tactics, which suggests the Tottenham boss is not about to change his approach against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Told supporters were wondering if summer signing Djed Spence would be given an opportunity at right wing-back after Emerson Royal’s red card against Arsenal on Saturday, a bristling Conte said the 21-year-old is still “not ready”.
Unprompted, he added: “Also [Matt] Doherty last season played every game. Now, I’m not seeing him in the right way to start the game. I am not stupid, I don’t want to lose. I try to pick the best team. If they [fans] trust me, it’s okay. If they don’t trust me, then I’m the coach and I need to take the best decisions for Tottenham.”
Conte also responded to suggestions his side were too negative in the 3-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium, ending a prickly press briefing with one of the most memorable lines of his Spurs tenure. “I won in England and I won in my past and I think I can teach football to many people,” he said.
The message was clear: Conte is aware of unease over his selections and tactics but, as a proven winner, he is not about to take advice from outside.
The manager’s faith in Emerson has become a point of contention for fans, many of whom would like to see Spence or Doherty given an opportunity. Emerson has started all but one of Spurs’s 10 matches this season and, although capable defensively, offers little in the final third as part of a system that is so reliant on thrust from wing-back. His only direct contribution to a goal was an assist in the win over Southampton on the opening day.
There is no arguing with Conte’s logic that he is best-placed to pick the team because he sees “every day what happens during training”, and plainly he believes playing Spence, a £15million signing from Middlesbrough, or Doherty would significantly weaken his side’s level.
Emerson will surely start again against the Europa League holders tonight, while there is every chance that Ivan Perisic will switch flanks during the Brazilian’s suspension, as he did for Spurs’s last Champions League outing, the 2-0 defeat against Sporting in Lisbon.
Even a player as experienced as Perisic, who had scored in a World Cup Final when Conte sent him on loan to Bayern Munich from Inter Milan, took time to learn how to play as a wing-back for the Italian, so it is no great surprise that Spence has found minutes hard to come by since stepping up from the Championship. There is, however, a sense that Conte is using the England Under-21 international to send a message to the board, having repeatedly described him as a “club signing”.
Doherty’s fall from favour is more surprising, but Conte appears unconvinced that the Republic of Ireland international has returned to the levels of a seven-game purple patch last season after suffering knee ligament damage in April.
The situation begs the question why Spurs did not act more decisively in the summer, particularly as opponents had identified Emerson as a weak link in Conte’s system.
The Brazilian’s harsh dismissal after a clumsy challenge contributed to the dispiriting defeat at Arsenal, but there was a sense the result had been coming, and Conte may tweak his system at Deutsche Bank Park, despite a spirited defence of his tactics.
“[If you are too open] you can concede six, seven or eight goals, in England that happens a lot of times,” he said, on the day after Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United shipped six against rivals City.
“In my career that never, ever happened. I don’t like to play open and concede a lot of space and conceded six, seven or eight goals.”
That said, Spurs have struggled to control matches this season, preferring to cede position and play in transition, and the approach, while largely effective, has allowed opponents to get on the front foot and pepper them with shots.
Conte’s side have faced 127 shots on goal in the Premier League, as many as Bournemouth and only fewer than Everton (135); City have faced just 51.
An extra midfielder at the expense of one of Conte’s forwards should give Spurs more balance and time in possession, and Conte’s hand may be forced tonight by the absence of Dejan Kulusevski, who has not travelled as he recovers from a hamstring strain.
“With this squad we can play with these two systems, 3-4-3 or 3-5-2,” Conte said. “Yves Bissouma can play with the two midfielders. The two strikers could be Sonny [Heung-min Son] and [Harry] Kane or Richarlison and Kane. With Kulusevski, it is better to play with 3-4-3.”
