Tottenham mark a year of Antonio Conte as a team going backwards from where they were in the spring
CBSN
Despite beating Marseille and advancing, Spurs are a team struggling to find their former form
A year ago, on the accession of Antonio Conte to the Tottenham throne, if you had told Spurs supporters that 365 days later they would be bound for the knockout stages of the Champions League having topped their group, you would have found precious few complaints. And yet, now, you would do well to quibble with anyone inclined to grumble, even after tonight's events.
Yes, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg thumped Spurs to top spot in Group D at the death, Conte's side scrabbling over a field that looked more underwhelming with every passing week. Two wins would suggest that Tottenham have draggled themselves out of the quicksand they found themselves in after their defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle.
But little on the pitch suggests that. Blow the final whistle a few moments earlier at the Vitality Stadium and the Stade Velodrome and Spurs would be winless in five. The closing minutes count just as much as any others, but should a team of this quality on paper need every one of the 90 minutes and a few more to find their way past midtable opposition in the Premier League and Ligue 1?
