Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly in a state of crisis, with several members of the first-team squad wanting Antonio Conte sacked after the Italian's outburst to the media following Spurs' 3-3 draw with Southampton on Saturday.
After going 3-1 up with just 15 minutes remaining, Spurs squandered their two-goal lead at bottom-of-the-table Southampton, causing Conte to slam his players - and the club's hierarchy - in the post-match press conference.
“They don’t play for something important,” Conte said. “They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.
“It is easy this way. Tottenham’s story is this. For 20 years there is the owner but they never won something. But why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here?
“I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. Until now I try to hide the situation but not now because, I repeat, I don’t want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable and also unacceptable for the fans.”
Reports from The Sun now suggest multiple players at Tottenham would like to see Antonio Conte sacked before their next game, against Everton on April 3 in the Premier League.
Spurs owner Joe Lewis and club chairman Daniel Levy could make the decision over the upcoming international break, with the majority of the squad away from their club to link up with their national sides.
Conte also criticised the media for attempting to defend the players and blame him instead.
"You are finding an alibi, another alibi," he added.
"You try to find an excuse for the players. OK, continue to do this, to find an excuse for the players. You do only this. You do only this. Excuses for the players. 'But the players, maybe, my future, then we lost confidence, they lost spirit, they lost being a team'. Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. Try to protect them every time."
Currently on a pre-scheduled two days off, players not on international duty will report back to the training ground on Tuesday.
Conte is out of contract in the summer and it looks increasingly unlikely Tottenham will offer him a new deal, and that he would even sign one if presented the opportunity to stay.
