Tottenham: Back Antonio Conte now, or regret it



I think I can speak for most Spurs fans when I say that I think Antonio Conte is the right man for the job.

He took charge at the start of November and there have been lots of positives since, but Sunday's result was disappointing, but it was his first defeat in the league.

I think he is building something, but he needs the right players to do it, and I have never seen the point of hiring a coach if you don't give him what he needs.

He has never been the kind of manager to spend a lot of money on his teams, but I think he deserves better quality at Spurs.

There is a clear need for some fresh faces in some key positions at that club, such as centre-half and centre-midfield, because there are a lot of old players who need to be moved on.

When he arrived, a group of players in the squad were nowhere near a top-four place, but now they are.

It would be stupid for Daniel Levy to not back him because he is the one. He is the guy that Levy wants at his club for the next five years, so he has to treat him accordingly.

I fear for the Spurs fans if Levy lost Conte because he doesn't give him what he wants, because they see him as their best chance of moving forward.

I feel the same way, that giving Conte what he needs to challenge for the top positions should not be seen as a gamble. Why wouldn't you help him?

My priority would not be Traore.

The gap between top teams and Spurs is large.

The disparity between the two teams, and between Spurs and Manchester City orLiverpool, is huge, as was made clear in the post- match interviews by Antonio Conte.

The transfer window closes next week, and that won't change with a couple of signings. It will take a lot of time and money to make up the gap.

Fourth place is up for grabs this season. If the right player is brought in now, it could be the difference between making it or not.

The example that we saw of what he needs was clear at the weekend.

Spurs are vastly improved because of him, but right now they are probably not going to finish fourth or sixth.

What can be done to change that? Adama Traore is one of the players who has been linked with a move to Spurs this month, and there is talk that he would be used as a wing-back like he was at Chelsea.

It would be a big step up for Traore, but we don't know how he would respond to it. I would like to see him sign but I don't want to make him a priority because Spurs need to strengthen in other areas.

I don't worry about Spurs scoring goals but they have a problem making them. The team lacks flair and creativity, but there are some very steady players in the middle.

If it is just one player that arrives this week, then it should be a topMidfielder like the teams at the top end, because Spurs are not getting a tune out of Tanguy.

Kane had a few chances.

There is a starting XI against a team.

I don't know if he was trying to make a point about his squad or not, but it still goes down as a missed opportunity.

I think he is going to do great things at Spurs if he is backed, but he only has himself to blame for the 2-0 defeat at the hands of the wrong team, because he went with the wrong team.

I was annoyed by the fact that he picked a side that lacked ambition and that they were out of form, complaining about being tired and with Romelu Lukaku out of sorts.

When I saw Spurs' line-up, I just thought it took the wind out of their sails, because they had the chance to build on their amazing win overLeicester.

They had eight defensive players, which was very strange, because it was a back-four with four full-backs and two holdingMidfielders.

Not only did it go against the beliefs of the coach, but he moved away from his usual set-up of three at the back and didn't give Spurs a chance. They were on the back foot from the beginning.

Harry Kane and Steven Bergwijn were the only two players who could score goals. The furthest players forward to support the front two were Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon.

I thought Kane played well. For me, he is getting back to his best, because he looked sharp and put in an absolute shift.

He barely got a chance because of his disallowed goal. He must have been wondering what chance he had in games like this when Spurs don't have many creative players.

Chris Bevan was speaking to a man.