‘It highlights the losses when the opposition across the road is doing so well’: Tottenham’s failings under Antonio Conte are made worse by Arsenal’s fine form, says Les Ferdinand, as he insists ‘Spurs fans have always wanted style’
Les Ferdinand and Jamie Redknapp have insisted Arsenal’s positive start to the season has made life harder for Tottenham.
Antonio Conte’s side lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle on Sunday – their second Premier League defeat of the week – and lost further ground on North London rivals Arsenal.
Despite the Gunners only drawing 1-1 with Southampton, the side are top of the league by two points, five clear of Tottenham with a game in hand.
Led Ferdinand and Jamie Redknapp have said Arsenal’s success is not helping Tottenham
Ferdinand (left) and Redknapp (right) said life is not easy when your rivals are doing so well
Ferdinand, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports covering the Newcastle game, said: ‘It highlights the losses when the opposition across the road is doing so well. He’s missing four key players today so I understand his frustrations today. It’s going to take time.
‘He’s asking the club how committed they are to his process. He’s asking for the support so he can sign a new contract, hopefully Harry Kane will sign a new contract. I think style is an issue.
‘For me, watching Spurs over the years the supporters have always wanted a style here. If you haven’t got the style you have to be winning something.’
Arsenal are two points clear at the top of the Premier League, and five ahead of Tottenham
Tottenham lost 2-1 to Newcastle on Sunday – their second Premier League defeat of the week
Redknapp echoed Ferdinand’s views, suggesting that things will never be ‘pretty’ when Conte is in charge.
‘He’s missing four players,’ he said. ‘I do find it fascinating what he’s saying.
‘He’s only got until the summer on his contract. He works in short bursts, he arrives, wins and goes somewhere else. As a player, you’ve got to show you want to be part of the process.
Conte insisted he is only at the start of ‘the process’ of making Spurs into a successful side
‘It was quite a telling interview. What he’s saying is we’re short. The Champions League has its drawbacks because you have to get the most out of the squad. I know the players really like him and respect him, but you’ve got to win a trophy.
‘It’s never going to be pretty when you’ve got Conte as manager. It’s been a really bad week, but they can bounce back.
‘I don’t suspect they’ll ever play like Guardiola with this manager and it doesn’t help that Arsenal are playing so well. It adds the pressure to Tottenham.’
Richarlison (left) is one of several players out struggling with injuries for Tottenham
The two were reacting to Conte’s post-match interview, in which he claimed he is ‘just starting the process’ at the club, as he bemoaned the injuries suffered by his squad.
‘The fans understand that we are doing our best in every moment’, he said.
‘We have to face a difficult situation with the injuries. When you play every two days you need to have a strong squad with great quality, and we have only just started a our process.
‘We are trying to improve the situation step by step but we need patience. We are doing well in a bad situation but we need time. If we play one game every six days we can fight for something. To play every two games we have to continue to build our path.
‘We have just started the process. If someone doesn’t want to listen, that is not my problem. We are lucky we have a group pf players who want to work. We continue to work and hope for less injuries.’
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