TalkSport reporter Alex Crook has dropped a worrying claim about Tottenham Hotspur and their supporters ahead of their next game.
It has been something of a mixed bag for new boss Antonio Conte since he was appointed as the head coach of the club at the start of the month.
Whilst he was unbeaten in his first three games, he saw his side booed off at half time against Leeds United, suffered a humiliating defeat away to NS Mura in the Europa Conference League, and wasn’t offered the chance to immediately bounce back from that game as their clash with Burnley was called off on Sunday.
That chance will eventually come this midweek against Brentford, who themselves haven’t been the most consistent recently, but are coming off the back of a victory over Everton.
Speaking on the latest edition of the TalkSport GameDay podcast, Crook warned that Tottenham might need to come out of the blocks firing against the Bees, or the atmosphere might not be too friendly towards Conte’s men.
He said: “We saw against Mura in the Europa [Conference] League, Tottenham far from the finished article under Antonio Conte – by his own admission, isn’t a miracle worker. So I will give Brentford a chance here.
“Certainly, they’ll have the work rate, they’ll have the endeavour which Tottenham haven’t [had] at times this season. And we talked about fans booing, well Tottenham were booed off at half time in their last home Premier League game, so if Brentford can start on the front foot, maybe get an early goal, it could turn toxic quite quickly for Spurs.”
TIF Thoughts on Alex Crook’s comments about Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte…
Will Conte make Tottenham a force again?
Yes
No
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium certainly hasn’t been the friendliest of places recently with the fans, with anger stemming back to the days under previous boss Nuno Espirito Santo after some of their performances earlier this season.
And despite the joy that has surrounded the early days of Conte’s appointment, as the game against Leeds demonstrated, there is still work to do before everything is going to be looking up for Spurs again.
Whilst a bad start and bad results might not mean Conte would lose his job (although given how short Espirito Santo lasted, it can’t be ruled out), it would set them up for a huge disadvantage when it comes to trying to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy for the first time since 2008.
So Spurs need to get off to a fast start against Brentford and hope that the momentum will set them up for the foreseeable future.
What Spurs can’t afford to do is allow the negativity from the fans to continue and for that to make its way to the players on the pitch and start affecting performances. So, as Crook hints, it is imperative that they manage to get on the front foot and get the fans back on their side after what has been a rough start to the season on multiple fronts.
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