The long-serving Tottenham Hotspur captain has been speaking about his former managers at the north London club and what went wrong
Hugo Lloris admits "something went wrong" with Antonio Conte's "really robotic" football at Tottenham and has expressed his sadness at Dele Alli's fall from Premier League life.
The Frenchman played 447 times for Spurs across 11-and-a-half years at the club before departing for a new chapter in his career across the Atlantic in the USA as the goalkeeper for LAFC. The World Cup winner reflected on more than a decade of ups and downs at Tottenham among other subjects in a new interview for the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel.
Ex-Spurs skipper Lloris enjoyed his best times under Mauricio Pochettino as the north London club challenged twice for the Premier League title and reached a first ever Champions League final.
"I was part of the evolution of the club when I witnessed the big change. When I arrived and when I left, the club was at a different level. Not only with the stadium and the training facilities, which are probably one of the best in the world," said the 39-year-old.
"But also on the field. The only problem, we could not transfer this on the pitch by winning trophies. We had four or five very good years, especially under Pochettino. But we were at some point really close to the trophy, but also really far. It’s hard to explain."
He added: "I think at that time, the club was, especially financially, they were focused on the new stadium. And I think the team was growing too fast.
"When Pochettino arrived, after two years we were already in the top four. And then after three years, we were out of the group stage of the Champions League, finishing above Real Madrid and Dortmund. But we managed to go to the Champions League final. Yes, it was the moment to invest. And it was the moment probably to refresh also this group of players, because we spent four or five years together building something special without really spending on the market.
"So we had a really good starting eleven. We played attractive football, but probably we had a lack of depth on the bench and in the squad. And we had to deal with the Chelsea of Abramovich, the Liverpool of Jürgen Klopp, the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola. So it’s about details at this level.
"I think we missed, probably as a club, an opportunity. But it was probably easier to change the coach than to change four or five players to refresh. But then we alternated up and down, and I think we never came back to that level, especially in terms of consistency in results."
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Pochettino paid the price for the slump with his job just six months after that Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in Madrid and in came Jose Mourinho.
"It’s funny because when he introduced himself, it was like 'If I’m here, it’s because of you'. Obviously, the club sacked Mauricio and they decided to appoint José and he came with a lot of energy and with his knowledge of the game," he said.
"I think it was a really interesting time. Even with Antonio Conte, I was in a different stage of my career, but I put myself in the position of a young player. It’s amazing to work with those types of coaches because the demand is really high every day. And that’s how you make yourself better. If you want to succeed, if you want to develop yourself, you have to follow the way. Otherwise, it would be complicated."
Lloris admits that Conte's style worked initially but things went wrong when the Tottenham players returned from the mid-season World Cup in Qatar.
"Different style of play, different way to manage a group of players. He’s more of a coach than a manager. He’s a great coach. I don’t have to say it, because you just have to see his CV. But it worked quite well the first six months," said the goalkeeper. "Then we had this World Cup in the middle of the season. So I think it was not easy to deal with.
"It was OK until the World Cup and then when we came back, I don’t know, it didn’t work at all. It’s like everything became really heavy and it was really demanding, really intense. His style of play, it’s really robotic as well.
"I truly believe that you still need this human side in the changing room. And you cannot have a separation between a coach and the players. Also, the team could not find a consistent rhythm in terms of performance and results. And myself, when I came back from the World Cup, I was completely drained. I had only four or five days off and I had to go back inside. I felt a really heavy atmosphere. So something went wrong."
Lloris also had his say on the decline of Dele Alli with the midfielder, one of the best young talents in Europe, having dropped out of the reckoning at Spurs and since struggling to get game time at a string of clubs around the world.
"It’s sad. It’s really sad. It hurts. I really like Dele and it was hard to predict. He was so talented and he started his career at Spurs so well, even with the national team jersey," said the former Spurs skipper. "But that’s more... It’s not only for Dele, but it’s almost the message to address to young players. You cannot lose the focus on football.
"Today, it’s really easy to get distracted by everything around and then you misunderstand what is the reality. The reality is what is happening on the field every day. That’s your job.
"The rest, yes, of course, you can develop a lot of things around football. And I think, talking with a lot of ex-players or even current players, I don’t think there is any secret: hard work, dedication to football, passion for football, and make yourself ready to compete because football demands a lot."