EXCLUSIVE | Louis Saha on Tottenham’s relegation battle: ‘When they’re pushed into a corner, they can be at their most dangerous.’ | OneFootball

Get French Football News sat down with former France, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton striker Louis Saha this week for a wide-ranging football chat.

In this second of a four-part interview, Louis spoke about Tottenham’s struggles this season and whether they have been a few years in the making.

Another of your – and Michael Carrick’s – former clubs where things are not going quite as well as at United is Tottenham. What is going wrong there? Are you fearful that they may go down?

Ah, we have the right to be afraid for them, that’s for sure, they are in a very tough spot. But at the same time, I have confidence in a group of talented players who I think, when they’re pushed into a corner, can be at their most dangerous. In any case, I hope that’s the case for them, that they will show their character – like they did in their last match [a 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers].

In terms of what’s gone wrong, I think it’s a lack of consistency going back years. Maybe – and that’s what Antonio Conte has said – you sometimes get the impression that they’re too hesitant and looking for a teammate to take the initiative, that maybe there is a mental disconnect at key moments, whether during the match or across the season. Sometimes it comes from the board and the type of signings made, strategically – it’s great to go out and sign super-talented youngsters but maybe you need to bring in players who have already established themselves as world class – it’s a similar issue that Arsenal were long criticised for –  so you don’t find yourselves suffering from this lack of experience at key moments.

We see it with Chelsea today. Chelsea have made, I don’t know, about 20 signings of talented young players, but there are key moments in a match or in a season where mistakes are made at great cost to the team. So if you’re doing that regularly, to the detriment of the results and players, then it might work commercially, but then you find yourself in a situation like Tottenham’s.  

You mentioned Conte there – it’s strange that, even as the players change, the same problem continues within the club?

Ah definitely, because I remember maybe hearing Jose Mourinho complain about the same thing, hearing Ange Postecoglou make the same observation. There are things that clearly are not working. I can’t tell you exactly what, I’m not party to the board’s discussions! I’m just a fan who watches football, maybe through the eyes of a player who was on the inside and it might not be for me to try to put my finger exactly on what the issue is – that would be too easy. I am sure that other players, especially legends like Ledley King or others, have given their suggestions, but they still haven’t yet found the solution. So I don’t know, it’s very complicated. They have the talent, they have the budget, they have the infrastructure, they have the coaches. I struggle to understand it.

Louis Saha was talking exclusively to Get French Football News courtesy of Betinia

GFFN | Jeremy Smith