Conte told four Spurs players ‘aren’t good enough’, must upgrade to become ‘solid top-four’

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Paul Merson has claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur wing-backs at Antonio Conte’s disposal “aren’t good enough”.

Spurs have come a long way since Conte took the reins last year.

The Italian dragged Tottenham into the top-four and got them into this season’s Champions League.

Spurs bolstered their ranks significantly in the summer transfer window and looked good value to enjoy a superb season.

But while Tottenham have done well for the most part, there have still been far too many disappointing displays.

Spurs have lost their last two Premier League matches and were dreadful in the first half of the Sporting CP draw.

It’s not as though Tottenham are doing badly. They’re third in the league table and sit top of Group D in the Champions League.

Nonetheless, Spurs are far from the finished product, and Merson believes that top-quality wing-backs would improve them massively.

‘No ammunition’

This season, Conte has been using Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon at left wing-back, and Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal on the right.

Merson, writing on Sportskeeda, said the players who have been playing on Tottenham’s flanks this term just aren’t up to it.

“Antonio Conte always plays a three-at-the-back formation, and you need to have top-draw wingbacks with this system,” he wrote.

“Tottenham have one of the best forward pairs in Kane and Son, but there’s no ammunition behind them. You’re only as good as the people who give the ball to you.

“Tottenham play with three defenders and three holding midfielders. They need a passer in their midfield.

“The two wingbacks that are supposed to step up in the final third aren’t good enough.

“If Tottenham had Reece James, Chilwell, and Cucurella, they wouldn’t be a million miles away from being a solid top-four team.”

Merson is right – although Tottenham’s wing-backs aren’t terrible, they’ve not shown the consistent class required for a club to be challenging for honours.

Conte definitely needs to improve the quality in those areas over the next two transfer windows, and hopefully Djed Spence will get up to speed in the coming months.