Son Heung-min has opened up on the Tottenham squad's reaction to Antonio Conte's meltdown after their loss to Burnley.
Spurs looked to have taken a huge step towards Champions League qualification after a dramatic 3-2 win away at leaders Manchester City on February 19, but came crashing back down to earth against Burnley four days later.
A 1-0 loss at Turf Moor handed the initiative back to their top-four rivals, and Conte vented his frustration to reporters post-match.
What did Conte say?
The Italian tactician raised fears that he could walk away from Tottenham as he suggested that they should be focusing on not getting drawn into a relegation battle instead of trying to finish fourth.
“I’m trying to do everything to change the situation but the situation is not changing," said Conte. "Someone has to speak about the race for the fourth place, and the reality from the last five games is we have to pay attention to not fight for the relegation zone. This is the truth. This is the reality.
“When this type of situation happens, maybe there is something wrong. From the first day I arrived here I want to help Tottenham. I repeat: I am too honest to close my eyes and continue in this way, and also take my salary. It’s not right in this moment.”
Son defends Conte
Son insisted Conte's outburst didn't alienate the squad while praising the 52-year-old's winning mentality and enthusiasm for the game.
Speaking after Spurs bounced back with a 4-0 win at Leeds on Saturday, the South Korean forward said: “Obviously we were all frustrated after the result. Obviously we know we can do better, especially with Burnley [because] we know how difficult that place is.
“We let ourselves down and we were disappointed. Today we wanted to show great character, to show we can improve. We showed that.
“We have a fantastic manager. He brings passion, he brings so much positive energy. We are all happy to work with him. I think it’s so, so important we keep this.
“That's why he’s special. He’s so passionate. He wants to win, he wants clean sheets, he wants us to be better.
“This I think is such a positive signal. We should take this as improvement and we should be also that passionate for the games coming.”