It was not the first time Antonio Conte made history against Manchester City. This time, however, it was a first for him, not for Pep Guardiola. Go back six seasons and he was the first manager to do a league double over Guardiola. It meant he joined that select group of coaches, with a winning record against the Spaniard. When Tottenham Hotspur took a 2-0 advantage at half-time, his lead was stretching to 4-2 in their duel in the dugout. Instead, there was a different 4-2 scoreline: a City win.
There was a novel element for Conte. “To concede four goals for me is not good and it is not good to concede four goals in the second half,” he said. “This is my first time in my career one of my teams has conceded four goals in one half.”
And, somehow, Tottenham have become the antithesis of a Conte team. His first Serie A title as a manager came as Juventus conceded 20 goals in 38 league games. Spurs have let in 21 in their last 10 alone. They finished last season with three straight clean sheets, conceding two goals in their last six games. Now they invariably let in two in each match. “Compared to last season we are conceding a lot more goals,” the Italian said.
Compared to every season; compared to every other team, too. A coach who prides himself on defensive excellence has the side who have let in the most goals in the Premier League since the middle of October.
“A team with more experience never, never concede four goals,” Conte said. Yet it was an argument that scarcely stood up to scrutiny. The most experienced of all, Hugo Lloris, is a veteran of 145 caps for France, 740 club games and two World Cups. He scored an own goal against Arsenal, was beaten too easily at his near post for Riyad Mahrez’s first goal and perhaps should have done better for Julian Alvarez’s strike. His increasing propensity to blunder is one reason for that worsening defensive record.
Ivan Perisic, a 33-year-old stalwart of Conte’s Serie A-winning Inter side, was tormented by Mahrez. The inadvertent assist for the Algerian’s second came from Clement Lenglet; borrowed from Barcelona, he picked out Mahrez. An initial back three of Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Ben Davies was scarcely populated by rookies. They are players with pedigree, with Romero’s enhanced by a World Cup winner’s medal, and an unconvincing unit. That reflects particularly poorly on a defensive manager.
If Conte means a collective experience of winning, Spurs may lack it but so do Arsenal. In any case, he was hired to instil the mentality. Organisation, an attention to detail, should be his forte. But, as he accepted: “Maybe we lost a bit of solidity defensively because we conceded a lot of goals.”
Individual errors have been a recurring theme, with Lloris the greatest culprit. Conte argued he was more at fault. “When we concede four goals the first [one] responsible is the coach,” he said. “I don’t put the mistake on the players, the mistake first of all is mine.”
Yet there are underperformers in this side: Dier, who started the season in fine form but has lost it and who failed to win a header against Ilkay Gundogan before Alvarez struck, Romero, who spent the North London derby trying to get sent off, Ryan Sessegnon, dropped against City after struggling against Arsenal. “We have to work to be more compact off the ball, not only the defenders,” said Conte. “When you concede a goal, the whole team has to defend better.” But his 3-4-3 dooms Spurs to play with less possession in such matches, necessitating excellence off the ball. His central midfielders are invariably outnumbered.
Spurs had 41 percent of possession at the Etihad, up from the 29 that brought them victory in February. Then Conte was the match-winner: his victories against City and Arsenal ultimately brought Champions League football. Now Tottenham play like underdogs in the defining games and lose. They have a solitary point against the big seven, as it has become, and that was a distinctly fortunate draw at Chelsea.
Arguably their best performance of the campaign in such fixtures came at the Etihad: at least they threatened to win; at least they scored twice. It brought a role reversal. Spurs often trail by two goals. This time they led by two and still ended up two behind. On that rare occasion when Arsenal supporters may have been lending them their support, they disappointed both halves of north London.
The balance of power has shifted to the side with a more progressive ethos. Conte was brought in as the short-term choice, the serial winner. Except he is now losing: this was a sixth defeat in 10 league games. It has brought them 10 points, 13 fewer than Newcastle, who have only played nine, putting them 13th in the table over that period. And with it the case for the defence of Conte is weakening.
