OUTBURST IS MERELY AN ATTEMPT TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE FAILINGS

ANTONIO CONTE'S attack on his Tottenham players and the culture of the club after Saturday's 3-3 draw at Southampton felt like an act of self-preservation.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Conte has an easy exit strategy from Spurs if he wants "I've been unwell, it's been an horrendous year personally, I want to be with my family in Italy" - but the head coach is not the type to go down quietly, particularly when there is so much blame to go around for an underwhelming season.

His outburst, in which he tore into his players’ attitude and professionalism, and suggested their failings were a symptom of the club’s culture, appeared to be the Italian’s latest attempt to shift focus away from his decisions and absolve himself of the failure to win silverware at a club for the first time as a coach.

He has already suggested that fans’ impatience is partly to blame for Spurs crashing out of two cup competitions in seven days and continuing to be inconsistent in the League, but what of his own tired tactics, stubborn inflexibility and downbeat rhetoric?

That is not to say there is not some truth in Conte’s outburst. It has long been obvious that Spurs have too many middling players, particularly at the back, and have failed to commit to the foundational rebuild called for by Mauricio Pochettino, leaving Conte with a squad full of quality but still imbalanced and a little stale.