Noel Whelan has insisted Tottenham boss Antonio Conte must revert to his 3-4-3 system in home games after they were “cut open at will” by Newcastle on Sunday (23 October).
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the Spurs fans will want to see a “free-flowing and exciting” system rather than a return to the reign of Jose Mourinho.
Tottenham fell to a 2-1 loss against Newcastle on Sunday – their second consecutive Premier League defeat.
Conte‘s side lined up with a two-man strike force of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son amid injuries to Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski.
The Italian has played a 3-4-3 system for most of his 12-month tenure, with Son, Kane, and Kulusevski enjoying a bumper scoring season during the 2021-22 campaign as Tottenham qualified for the Champions League.
Whelan insisted the Spurs support won’t be “too fond” of the football being played by their side at present.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think they’ve definitely got to bring back that front three at home.
“When you’re playing away, you can be a bit more apprehensive and a bit more solid.
“But when you’re at home in front of your fans, they want to see a free-flowing, exciting Tottenham side.
“We didn’t see it against Newcastle. All the best football came from the away side.
“They dominated possession, and really cut Spurs open at will at times.
“It’s a style of play that Conte likes, but it’s probably not one that the fans are too fond of. It reminds me of when Mourinho was in charge – it’s defensive, solid, but it’s more of a counter-attacking system.
“Particularly at home, I’d like to see them be a bit more adventurous and bring back that front three.
“They’ve got to take the game to teams who come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“They’re missing two massive players in Richarlison and Kulusevski.”