Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has leapt to the defence of under-fire Tottenham manager Antonio Conte and suggested supporters vent their displeasure at his style of play in the direction of the club's chairman Daniel Levy instead.
Conte made the move back to the Premier League, having previously won the division with Chelsea in 2017, last November when Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked after a woeful four-month reign at White Hart Lane. The former Porto goalkeeper lost five of his last seven games as Spurs boss and left the club sitting eighth in the table.
The Italian was named as Espirito Santo's successor and impressively managed to secure Champions League football at White Heart Lane at the expense of north London rivals Arsenal after the Gunners' late-season capitulation.
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However, despite sitting third in the Premier League twelve games into the season, just five points behind leaders Arsenal, an element of pressure is building around Conte with Spurs failing to any of their last three games - with their latest outing, a 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon, leaving them yet to qualify from their Champions League group with one matchweek left.
Tottenham face newly-promoted Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, which is a must-win game for the Italian in his bid to settle down Spurs supporters and the concerns they have around his pragmatic approach. That is something Carragher believes has been blown out of proportion and questioned whether supporters would demand Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola to move away from their blueprints for success.
"Look at where Tottenham were when Conte arrived," wrote the former Anfield defender in his weekly Telegraph column. "They had lost five of their previous seven games under Nuno Espirito Santo. To recover and finish in the top four was a brilliant achievement.
"Even if it goes wrong on a tricky night in Marseilles next week I do not believe there should be an overreaction.
"Conte’s record in Europe is the only blemish on his CV, having not yet reached a Champions League semi-final. The intensity he expects from his players may be a reason his teams have struggled when playing three times a week. When Conte won the Premier League at Chelsea he took advantage of being out of European competition.
"But just as he did at Stamford Bridge, he has already shown Spurs why he is one of the world’s top coaches. When his sides are at their best you need your A-game to beat them, as demonstrated when his team won at City and drew at Anfield in the title run-in last season.
"Those games were template Conte-led performances: organised in defence and clinical on the break. That is why Conte sees himself on the same level as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. His plan at Spurs is for more of the same with higher quality players. Expecting anything else – or demanding an evolution of tactics so that Spurs will play more like City, Liverpool or Arsenal – is as deluded as demanding that Guardiola and Klopp play more defensively. Leopards do not change spots."
He added: "Should the argument persist that the Italian is 'not the right fit' for Spurs, the problem is not Conte’s. There is no point in jeering a manager for doing what he has always done. Those who do not like it should direct their frustration at those who appointed him. Daniel Levy knew what he was getting: a proven winner with a reputation for being combustible when he does not get his way.
"The growing discontent is because of the contradiction between Tottenham fans’ perception of what their team should be and Conte's blueprint for success."
After their weekend trip to the south coast, they face Marseille in their final Champions League fixture. The wrong result in the south of France could see Spurs competing in the Europa League after the New Year - which would ultimately increase the pressure on the Italian tenfold before Liverpool's visit to White Hart Lane next weekend.
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