Conte calls on flops to become ‘killers’
ANTONIO CONTE has called on his players to become ‘killers’ amid fears from the Tottenham boss that his team lack a winning mentality. Spurs suffered a third successive Premier League defeat yesterday, at home to Wolves, and a fresh blow to their top-four hopes. Conte believes his players are struggling for confidence and cracking under the pressure of their poor run. The Italian said: ‘The problem is you can’t buy a winning mentality, you can only transfer it day by day. It is not sure. ‘There are players which are more open. Some need more time to understand this. A winning mentality, in my opinion, means I am ready to kill you to live — to show better desire than your opponent. When you understand the defeat has to hurt you a lot, not a little. This is not simple.’ Spurs were booed off at half-time and full-time but Conte insists the club’s fans must stop turning on their players. ‘Our fans have to understand that maybe you need to have patience and wait to build again the situation they were used to in the past,’ he added. ‘The situation has changed, not just with me, it was the same with other managers. It is important to be realistic.’ Meanwhile, Wolves boss Bruno Lage played down his team’s European hopes. Asked if he dreams of a top-six finish, the Portuguese replied: ‘I dream of (our next game against) Leicester. ‘We controlled the game against Tottenham. Their manager is one of the best. Where he goes, he gets results. We came to play with the character I have been asking for in the last week.’