Surprising comments by Tottenham’s Antonio Conte after Wolves loss

Antonio Conte’s post-match comments after Tottenham’s loss to Wolves contradicted what most others observed in the 2-0 result.  

"The Italian gaffer was full of praise for Harry Winks and even went as far as saying Tottenham’s performance was “maybe one of the best since I was here.”In his post-match press conference, Conte said “the performance was good” and that he thought “the two midfielders played very well today.”"

If you play back the first half of Tottenham’s loss to Wolves yesterday, it makes for particularly ugly watching, so I’m not sure how Conte can think his team played good.

Though maybe he’s also doing his utmost, with positive reaffirmations, to keep things upbeat behind the scenes. Because the on-pitch product entirely belied Conte’s post-match comments.

It was the first time since December 1998 that Spurs went down two goals in the first 20 minutes of a home match. Wolves, apart from Manchester City, have the league’s best defensive unit.

Wolves have conceded just 17 goals in 23 matches, so, by taking a commanding two-goal lead within 20 minutes of kickoff, Bruno Lage’s side was in dreamland, making it a near-impossible task for Tottenham.

While Tottenham reacted positively after the interval, their performance was substandard from start to finish. Winks was mediocre at best. Sure, he completed almost 83 percent of his passes and only missed his target on one of six long balls, but he didn’t command the centre of the park, gave away possession needlessly on a few occasions and still plays way too many lateral balls. Oh, and an 83 percent success rate is about average for a player of his position.

Spurs created some chances after going down early, but Wolves showed no signs of real concern. They soaked up pressure, as they’re accustomed to and still had more clear-cut opportunities, even after going up two.

Tottenham enjoyed 59 percent of overall possession, an expected dominance on the ball when the opposing team is away from home sitting on a two-goal lead. Lage’s men were happy to fall back, contain and soak up the pressure, knowing they’d get their chance on the counter.

Historically Tottenham have endured difficulties trying to break down well organized defensive sides, a theme that continued on Sunday. Under Conte, Spurs have actually enjoyed more success when they don’t possess the ball as much as the opposition. So having more of the ball isn’t a telltale sign of success; far from it.

At least Spurs didn’t completely capitulate after the interval, which is probably more to Conte’s point. But there’s a marked difference between not surrendering and playing “good.”

Conte knows his team and understands what motivates and inspires, so I’m sure his latest, rather surprising, comments about his team will have the desired effect.

Because it’s challenging otherwise to see things from his perspective about what transpired at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium yesterday.