Conte sets Spurs sights on finishing 5th in the league

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says fifth would be a good finish for his Spurs side in this campaign. After Spurs’ 2-0 loss at the hands of Aston Villa, Tottenham slumped to that fifth spot in the table. Manchester United, which holds a game in hand over the London club, usurped that valuable fourth spot from Antonio Conte’s side.

After that loss, Conte spoke to members of the media. There, he made it abundantly clear what his goals are with his current outfit of Spurs players.

“I want to be honest, I want to be very clear,” Conte said. “I have said this to the club, I have said my opinions. The fans deserve the best. Maybe to stay in fifth is the best. Maybe sixth, seventh, fifth or fourth is the best.”

Last season, Spurs finished fourth with a frantic charge under Conte. At matchday 25, Spurs sat in eighth. Twenty-six points over the last 11 games allowed Spurs to top an Arsenal team that lost two of its last three games.

Antonio Conte called last season a miracle, accrediting his club’s performance to only appearing in the Premier League and a lack of injuries in his squad.

Conte and Spurs do not have those luxuries this time around, hence the prediction of fifth.

Conte aims for fifth with Spurs

Moreover, Spurs are dealing with major injuries. Richarlison, Lucas Moura, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski are all dealing with major injuries.

On top of that, Spurs are in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, FA Cup and League Cup. It is a far cry from Conte’s time overseeing just the Premier League like the back half of last season. Then, the season does not get any easier. By the end of February, Tottenham faces Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and has cup ties with Portsmouth and Milan.

Right now, Conte is relying on the heroics of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min to bail out his Spurs side. In many ways, Tottenham is its own bane. Individual errors, notably by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the most recent loss, have Spurs leaking goals. The 25 goals against is the worst of the clubs currently in the top six.

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images