Rio Ferdinand identifies reason for Spurs’ struggles under Antonio Conte this season – ‘They fall short’

Tottenham’s patchy form this season has its roots in dysfunction around the team, believes Rio Ferdinand.

Antonio Conte’s side have blown hot and cold in 2023, performing superbly to defeat Manchester City in the league but then slipping to limp recent defeats against Sheffield United and Wolves.

Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand lavished praise on Spurs’ attackers, but suggested that other parts of the team had malfunctioned for much of the season under Conte.

He explained on BT Sport: “If you look at the front three, if they catch fire on any occasion they take a game out by themselves by scoring two or three quickly, but the whole team has got to function for them to be successful and I think that’s been the problem for Spurs this season.

“You’ve had areas – midfield, defensively they haven’t functioned – the attackers haven’t functioned as well as they could do at times.

“They fall short.”

Ex-Spurs forward Peter Crouch concurred with Ferdinand’s assessment.

“[There have been] so many different performances this season, even in this spell,” the club’s ex-forward said.

“The Sheffield United game [in the FA Cup], a real chance to win something this year, they’re playing that weakened team and then you can get stuck in a rut, you go and lose to Wolves.”

“The quarter-finals of the FA Cup could have been their biggest game of the season if they’d played the right team,” he said.

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