Antonio Conte has told his Tottenham players to show more resilience and rediscover their "nastiness" as they attempt to get their season back on track at Fulham on Monday.
Thursday's 4-2 defeat at Manchester City was Spurs' third defeat in their last four Premier League games that has seen them fall further behind the top four.
A win for Fulham would see them leapfrog their more illustrious London rivals and drop Spurs down into sixth place in the table.
Inconsistency has blighted Tottenham in recent months, their form in stark contrast to their strong finish to last season where Conte’s men won eight of their last 11 league fixtures, keeping six clean sheets along the way, to pip Arsenal to Champions League qualification.
“If I have to analyse what happened before, compared to last season, we implemented football knowledge, the tactical aspect and also the players after one year and a half, there is more connection between them,” Conte said.
“But we have to pay attention not only to improve one side, don’t lose what we created last season, the solidity, the desire to defend the result, the desire to win duels and don’t lose the nastiness.
“I repeat, in football you can be really good but if you are not strong on the pitch in every moment then you can risk losing. But I have a group of players who are intelligent, they know the situation much better than me.
“They know they have conceded a lot of goals, many goals for a team like Tottenham and they know we have to try to improve and there’s only one way to work, to stay together and be strong.
“I always use a word. A team that wants to win, to be stable has to be a resilient team.
“We have to show in every game, to be resilient and this is not simple but I think this is the key, especially in our season, in this type of situation when you have conceded 21 goals in the last 10 [league] games.”
Man City v Tottenham ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 6 The Brazilian was having a good game until his weak pass out to Rodri was intercepted, allowing Spurs to take the lead. He did manage to grab an assist late on, finding Mahrez with a long ball. EPA -
Rico Lewis – 7 The 18-year-old had a hard job drifting from fullback into midfield, but he did well and had a deflected shot well saved as City searched for goals. Action Images -
John Stones – 6 Made a number of important sliding tackles as well as a key clearance to stop Son breaking away. He helped his side keep their lead with a number of strong blocks. Reuters -
Manuel Akanji – 6 The Swiss defender had a shaky start, nearly fumbling the ball straight to Kane, but he improved, driving forward on many occasions. AFP -
Nathan Ake – 8 The defender had a really strong game, making several vital sliding challenges to stop Spurs on the attack. He also made a vital header to stop Kane getting the ball at the back post. AP -
Rodri – 6 The 26-year-old was left short by a weak Ederson pass and was helpless as Spurs took advantage to open the scoring. Getty -
Ilkay Gundogan – 7 The captain impressed in the middle, passing the ball straight through the Spurs midfield. He fired a cross to the back post as his side tried to break Spurs down. AP -
Jack Grealish – 7 The winger showed off some skilful passing and was always ready to break away with the ball. His defensive workrate was also key as he made a sliding tackle to stop Son on the attack. AP -
Riyhad Mahrez – 9 The Algerian was City’s best performer with his electric dribbling and vision setting up all of his side’s goals. After claiming an assist, he went on to slot away two brilliant goals. EPA -
Julian Alvarez – 7 The youngster looked bright as he tried to find space behind the defenders, drawing them away from Haaland. He grabbed a scrappy but well-taken goal just after half time as City started their comeback. AFP -
Erling Haaland – 7 The Norwegian kicked into gear as the game went on. After having a shot saved well by Lloris, he went on to claim another goal with an easy header to draw City level. Getty -
SUBS: Benardo Silva (Ilkay Gundogan 80”) – N/A The midfielder made sure to make his mark, clearing the ball up the pitch and applying constant pressure on Spurs’ defence. Reuters -
Kyle Walker (Rico Lewis 83”) – N/A Replacing the injured Lewis, the defender didn’t have a lot to do as his side launched attack after attack. Getty -
Ruben Dias (Erling Haalnd 90”) – N/A Little to do. PA -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 4 The Frenchman started well but ended badly as he let in four, one at his near post. His poor positioning and desire to come out of goal helped City make their comeback. Reuters -
Emerson Royal – 6 Having made several good runs down the wing early on, the Brazilian got his reward as he doubled Tottenham's lead before later being subbed off. Reuters -
Cristian Romero – 5 The centre-back was booked early on so had to restrain himself, but made sure not to sit back. He denied Grealish on the break with a good tackle. Reuters -
Eric Dier – 5 Made a good block from an Alvarez shot in the box but was sloppy in the latter stages under pressure. AP -
Ben Davies – 5 The 29-year-old gave away several fouls and allowed Mahrez to get his shot off in the box as City took the lead. He put in some good crosses but wasn’t at his best. AFP -
Ivan Perisic – 4 The Croatian was taken off in the second half after a poor showing in which he was beaten by Mahrez almost every time. Despite a few good attacks, he didn’t play well. Getty -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 5 The midfielder made some good blocks at the back, including one which stopped a certain City goal. However, he didn’t look good under pressure, often kicking the ball out of play. PA -
Rodrgio Bentancur – 7 Easily Spurs’ best player, the midfielder showcased some accurate passing and always looked calm in the middle as he helped his side transition from defence to attack. Action Images -
Dejan Kulusevksi – 6 The Swedish attacker chased down every ball and looked dangerous on the break. He claimed his goal well after pouncing on a City mistake, and helped to create other chances. AP -
Son Heung-min – 6 The attacker didn’t get his usual time on the ball and when he did, he didn’t shine. He had one good chance, a header, which he fired goalward, but Ederson saved well. PA -
Harry Kane – 6 The Spurs skipper held up the ball brilliantly as he tried to kickstart several attacks, dropping deep to get possession. He was constantly surrounded in the box, but his persistence led to Tottenham's second. Reuters -
SUBS: Ryan Sessengon (Ivan Perisic 68”) – 6 Came on to face Mahrez but couldn't stop him. AP -
Yves Bissouma (Rodrigo Bentancur 74”) – 5 Added energy in the middle late on, but also gave away some unnecessary fouls. AP -
Clement Lenglet (Ben Davies77”) – 5 It was a poor showing from the defender, with his only key involvement allowing Mahrez to slide past him. Getty -
Richarlison (Emerson Royal 77”) – 5 The attacker was saved by VAR, which deemed him to not have blocked a shot with his hand in the box. Reuters
Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris has come under fire for several high-profile errors post-World Cup, with the Frenchman at fault for the first of Riyad Mahrez's goals in Thursday's defeat at the Etihad.
It follows hot on the heels of his own goal against Arsenal in the North London derby, but Conte attempted to take the heat off his squad by insisting they must continue to take risks.
He said: “There are periods where maybe there are individual mistakes, it’s normal that it can affect the mood of the team and this type of situation can cost goals, but this is part of football.
“It happened always in football that there is the individual mistake. For sure we have to be strong when there is an individual mistake, don’t lose the confidence.
“I trust in all my players. I have confidence in all my players. They have to be confident in themselves. The mistake is part of football. I accept it.
“I don’t like when I have a player who doesn’t try to take a risk, only to protect themselves. I always say to my players you have to take the responsibility.”
