Antonio Conte insisted his Tottenham side must “find solutions” after coming from behind again to draw 2-2 with Brentford on Boxing Day.
Spurs have been struggling in the first half of matches, conceding first on multiple occasions. While their fightback from deficits has often been impressive, putting themselves in constant early holes has caused problems in securing points.
The Italian boss very nearly had his holiday season ruined as he watched defensive calamities allow Brentford to take a 2-0 lead in their Premier League clash on Boxing Day. Goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a late Spurs fightback ensured the spoils were shared. The comeback was another emotional turn and provided a feeling of relief after the match, but it also left Spurs without all three points yet again.
Conte was very clear about needing to find ways to avoid the early mistakes and help pave an easier pathway to three points at the full-time whistle.
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Tottenham’s last 9 games:
United – down 0-2 (L)
Newcastle – down 0-2 (L)
Sporting – down 0-1 (D)
Bournemouth – down 0-2 (W)
Marseille – down 0-1 (W)
Liverpool – down 0-2 (L)
Forest – down 0-2 (L)
Leeds – down 0-1 (W)
Brentford – down 0-2 (D)Back like we never left 💪 pic.twitter.com/vLfy8mtfDf
— Samuel Army (@thesamuelarmy) December 26, 2022
Conte speaks after comeback vs Brentford secures draw
Speaking in a post-match press conference, the manager explained: “In one side I have to be happy because of the way we played in the second half, the energy, desire and intensity and when you play like this you create problems.
“On the other side this is now nine games in a row we concede the first goal. It’s important to be stable for a team that wants to try to stay in a good position in the table. To concede for many goals the first goal or two goals, we have to make good reflections. We have to find solutions.”
He finished by saying: “I want to underline how good they are but we could have won.”
The draw left Tottenham on 30 points, good for fourth in the Premier League table, four points ahead of Manchester United who play tomorrow against Nottingham Forest.
Injuries, absences an issue for Tottenham
Not only have Tottenham fallen behind in their last nine matches in all competitions, they’ve now conceded two or more goals in each of their last six competitive fixtures.
A bevy of absences didn’t help their cause, but Spurs have looked uncharacteristically shaky for a side coached by Conte and are being chased in the Premier League table by the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Still, those missing players will cause some concern. Rodrigo Bentancur was a star for Uruguay early at the World Cup but picked up an injury and will miss some time. Richarlison also left Qatar with an injury that will leave him sidelined a few weeks, while Hugo Lloris was rested against Brentford after his starting role for France up to the World Cup final.
Spurs will now have an eye on the chasing pack as they face Aston Villa on January 1, desperate to keep ahead in the top-four race.
Premier League 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV | Optus Sport |
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
