Antonio Conte ‘looks crushed and defeated’ by Tottenham job, as former Spurs man questions defensive formation against Middlesbrough after stunning FA Cup exit

Antonio Conte ‘looks defeated’ at Tottenham Hotspur, according to former Spurs defender Jason Cundy, who thinks the Italian ‘isn’t doing enough’ in the hotseat.

Conte’s Spurs tenure took another turn for the worse when his side were knocked out of the FA Cup 1-0 by Championship side Middlesbrough - a result which has condemned the north London club to their 15th consecutive trophyless season.

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A five-time league title winner in England and Italy, Conte was seen as a huge coup for Spurs when he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as manager in November.

The 52-year-old began his reign with a nine-game unbeaten run in the league - a club record for a newly appointed manager - but things have deteriorated considerably since the turn of the year.

Humbling defeats against Boro and Burnley have put his future with the club in doubt, with the former Chelsea boss even hinting at a move towards the exit door in an interview with talkSPORT.

That revealing interview came when Spurs followed up a 3-2 win over Manchester City with a 1-0 loss to Burnley, and the pattern has now been repeated.

Tottenham thrashed Leeds 4-0 in their last league match, but are now out of the FA Cup after an extra-time defeat to lower-league opposition.

“Is Antonio Conte doing enough right now, is he? He’s not! Everyone at Spurs, they’re all beaten,” said talkSPORT host Cundy on The Sports Bar.

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“Manage! You’re paid to manage so manage, he looks defeated, he looks crushed, every time I look at Antonio Conte he looks like he wants to go to bed!

“Conte has gone from being one of the most sought after managers and within three months his reputation is getting damaged

“I bigged him up when he joined Spurs. I felt that Spurs were going to move in the right direction, but I didn’t see this, not under Antonio Conte.

“You could tell at that point he was struggling. I can't wait to hear what Conte’s got to say now after that, he looked lost on the touchlines again, staring into space, just staring.”

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Cundy didn’t just question Conte’s mentality, but also his tactics, concluding that Tottenham were far too defensive against lower league opponents.

He asked: “They were poor tonight, Spurs, but I have to say playing five at the back, why are you playing five at the back against Middlesbrough? 

“Five at the back, not three, five sitting deep, dropping off, [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son dropping into midfield, allowing Middlesbrough to dominate the ball.

"Middlesbrough were brilliant but, I have to say, Spurs’ tactics tonight, I’m looking at Conte, I want to see more from him.

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“The formation has to come from the manager, that was a five at the back, not a three, he had wing backs 

"So why are they dropping deep and allowing Middlesbrough to dominate the ball? Why are they doing that? That’s a tactic, they have been told.”