Midfielder highlights January exits show that ‘nobody is given a free pass’ under Conte
Harry Winks has admitted that Tottenham’s mini-clear out in January showed that every player at the club is under pressure to prove that they are good enough to be part of Antonio Conte’s project. Tottenham let four first-team players leave the club last month, with Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil being loaned […]
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Harry Winks has admitted that Tottenham’s mini-clear out in January showed that every player at the club is under pressure to prove that they are good enough to be part of Antonio Conte’s project.
Tottenham let four first-team players leave the club last month, with Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil being loaned out to Lyon, Villareal and Valencia respectively.
Dele Alli’s seven-year spell at Spurs also came to an end, with the midfielder sealing a permanent move to Everton on transfer deadline day.
Conte admitted that while it was strange for a club to let four players leave mid-season, it showed that Tottenham had made mistakes in the transfer market in the past (Sky Sports).
When asked if the exodus in January was a wake-up call, Winks told Football.London: “We always needed that. Everybody in football knows that. Nobody is given a free pass – everybody is under pressure and under scrutiny.
“That is just part and parcel of football. I would not say it was a wake-up call. Everybody knows the high demands at a club like Tottenham and that you have to be performing.”
Winks also spoke about Conte’s admission about there being a big gap in terms of quality between Spurs and the likes of Chelsea.
The midfielder admitted that it will take time for Tottenham to get to the level that the Italian wants them to reach.
When asked about Conte’s comments, he said: “It is probably an honest reflection. The table does not lie and our results don’t lie and we’ve been inconsistent. We have shown glimpses of real quality and good performances but we have shown the other side of things where we haven’t been so good.
“It is an honest assessment and we all understand that we need to strive to get back to the level we want to get to. We took it more as motivation that we can improve and really get better.
“The attitude is that we have a manager who is a winner and we want to implement that into our game. He won’t let us be like that, but it takes time, there is a process and it does not happen overnight.
“It has been three or four months but it is a long process and we are working towards a goal and while it was a poor result [against Southampton], there were positive signs at the end and in the last four or five matches.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Winks’ improvement over the last couple of months shows how important a factor confidence is in football. It is never easy for players to take their opportunities when their confidence is shot by a lack of game time.
The same can be said of Eric Dier’s performances this season. It was evident that the defender’s self-belief had taken a blow in the final few months of Mourinho’s time at the club following repeated public criticism from the Portuguese coach.
Perhaps fans should also realise from these examples that one should not be too harsh in judging players’ performances when their opportunities are few and far between. While criticising players is understandable, calling people “rubbish” is necessary.
This also applies to someone like Matt Doherty, who is struggling for confidence at the moment but has shown in the past that he is a much better player than what we have seen from him in a Spurs shirt.
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The post Midfielder highlights January exits show that ‘nobody is given a free pass’ under Conte appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.