I am not a magician... it’s not easy
CONTE CLEAR ON JOB STATE
TOTTENHAM served up the biggest European horror show of their history by losing to Slovenian minnows Mura but new manager Antonio Conte said: “I am not scared”.
Harry Kane, below, has been a Spurs player for longer than NS Mura have been in existence and the Slovenian minnows had been beaten comfortably in all their previous Conference League encounters. They are the lowestranked team in the competition.
Yet even the presence of Kane, Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Eric Dier was not enough to prevent Amadej Murasa’s injury-time goal, leaving Tottenham’s qualification from European football’s most lowly main competition ever in jeopardy. It means even a win against Rennes in their final game might not be enough as they could still be overtaken on goal difference by Vitesse, although they are currently ahead by two on that count.
“After three weeks, I am starting to understand the situation,” Conte said. “It is not simple. At this moment, the level at Tottenham is not so high. I am happy to stay here but we have to work a lot to improve the quality of the squad.
“But I am not a magician and after three weeks I have found players that want to work and have great commitment. Sometimes it is not enough. We are Tottenham but there is a big gap with the top teams. But I am not scared.
“The club decided to change [manager] because there are problems. I’m here to work, and I’m enthusiastic to work, to rebuild for Tottenham.”
After Conte gave a chance for Ryan Sessegnon to reboot his career, the former Fulham player lasted just 31 minutes before a stupid lunge earned him his second yellow card. After only 11 minutes, a costly slip by Davinson Sanchez had allowed Tomi Horvat to cut inside and carve an unstoppable shot past Pierluigi Gollini. In the 72nd minute, Moura’s pass had two Mura defenders leaving it for each other and Kane took his time to plot a chip over the goalkeeper and inside the far post from a tight angle.
But another slip by Sanchez was all substitute Marosa needed to fire a shot that deflected off the Colombian and into the net.
MURA (3-4-2-1): Obradovic 7; Karnicnik 6, Gorenc 7, Karamarko 7; Kous 6, Lorbek 7, Kozar 6 (Ouro 62, 6), Sturm 6 (Lotric 77); Horvat 7 (K Cipot 87), Pucko 6; Mulahusejnovic 6 (Marosa 62, 8). Goals: Horvat 11, Marosa 90.
TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Gollini 6; Tanganga 6, Rodon 6 (Moura 54), Sanchez 4; Doherty 5 (Dier 54, 6), Ndombele 6 (Hojbjerg 76), Skipp 6, Sessegnon 3; Gil 5 (Davies 54, 6), Kane 7, Alli 5 (Son 54, 7). Sent off: Sessegnon 31. Goal: Kane 72.