Antonio Conte sends a warning to Tottenham’s board over ‘dangerous’ demands as frustration mounts

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Antonio Conte has warned the Tottenham board that he has so far avoided making “serious” demands on the club.

The pressure continues on the Italian after another poor showing from Tottenham, as he lost 4-2 to Manchester City despite entering the first half at Al-Ittihad with a two-goal lead.

That advantage was decimated within eight minutes as City ran away with it, reducing Arsenal’s lead to five points.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have won just one Premier League game since the World Cup, and Newcastle United are five points behind in fourth place after playing a game more.

Conte’s future at North London remains uncertain, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, but the club have an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

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Speaking after the defeat to City, Conte made it clear that any demands he has made of the club so far in his spell in charge are not even close when he has been managing elsewhere.

“If you demand the same level as at Juventus and Inter, it could be dangerous, because my frustration could be too great,” Conte told reporters.

“Instead, I know what my mission is in this situation, and then I work hard because I want to get better. I want to improve the team and the club with my vision, my idea and my suggestions. Then definitely we see that.”

When asked what Tottenham needed to do to close the gap to those above them, he replied: “That’s not a question for me. That’s a question for the club.”

Goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal put Tottenham in control after 45 minutes, although a rare first-half lead proved of little importance.

Spurs have now conceded two or more goals in nine of their last nine league games, and their defensive record at this stage of the season was the club’s worst since the 2007/08 season.

“We played a good game today, we played with character, and put a lot of pressure on them,” Conte said.

“At the same time, I am disappointed. This is the first time in my career that my team has conceded four goals in one half.

“We have to keep working and trying to improve this group of players. When I tell you we have to close the gap, the process is just beginning.

“You have to work and keep working and improve our team’s experience technically and tactically.”

He added, “These matches are important for us to understand the difference between us and other big clubs. We have a lot of difference in this moment but we are ready to work and fight.”

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