Antonio Conte laments Tottenham squad depth but calls for calm after Newcastle defeat – ‘Time and patience’

First-half goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron proved enough to give the visitors victory in London, although Harry Kane pulled a goal back for Spurs in the second half.

“We are doing our best in every moment. Today the commitment was really high. We have to face a difficult situation for us. When you don’t have three or four players in the squad you’re in trouble,” the Italian told Sky Sports.

“We have to manage very well this situation and overcome it together.

“When you play every three days you need to have a deep, strong squad. We have only just started our process. We are playing in the Champions League. We’re trying to improve our situation step by step.

“You need time and patience. I want to be honest. With my experience, we are doing well but we need the time and patience.”

The fixtures aren’t slowing down any time soon for Conte’s men, as they host Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday and have six games in the next three weeks leading up to the World Cup.

“If we played one game every six or seven days, we could fight for something important,” Conte said.

“To play every three days we have to continue to build our path and have patience. If someone thinks we can invent the win and do a miracle, we need to continue to work.

“If someone doesn’t want to listen it’s not my problem. Fingers crossed we don’t have many injuries. Many injuries can affect our season.”

Conte also hinted that Spurs could delve into the transfer market in January to bolster his options.

“When you start this type of process, I can tell the line to follow. We have to finish this period of games and then in January we’ll see where we are, which improvement we need. Together with the club,” he said.

“The club knows very well. I was very clear in the summer. If we want to play in the Premier League and Champions League you need to improve the squad.

“When you play, play, play, injuries happen. When three to five players are out it becomes a problem for a team like Tottenham.”