'Conte’s Got To Find A Way To Get Spurs Back On Track'
- Leicester City tackle Tottenham Hotspur away in the Premier League on Sunday (2pm kick-off)
- Spurs are looking to qualify for the UEFA Champions League under Antonio Conte
- The north London side are two points below fourth-placed Arsenal in the standings
- Live coverage of Sunday's clash can be found, for free, on LCFC Radio this weekend
Spurs sit two points behind bitter rivals Arsenal in the race for fourth place in the league – the final qualification berth for the UEFA Champions League. The north London outfit have not competed at that level in European football since reaching the last-16 stage of the 2019/20 tournament.
Under Antonio Conte, who replaced Nuno Espírito Santo last autumn, Spurs' fortunates have improved. However, a loss to Brighton & Hove Albion was followed by a draw with Brentford over recent weeks, allowing Arsenal to regain the ascendancy in the battle for Champions League football.
"There’s always a few twists and turns along the way and that’s very much been the case in the last two games," Guest told LCFC Radio's Matchday Live show, which begins at 12:30pm on Sunday.
"Prior to the Brighton defeat and the Brentford draw, Spurs had won seven from the past nine, had gone three points ahead of Arsenal in the top-four race and then had the chance to extend it by a further three points if they beat Brighton, but unfortunately, they lost.
"That’s given Arsenal the chance to get in there and they’ve taken that opportunity, so they’re two points ahead of Spurs with five games remaining. Spurs haven’t played well in the past two games, they’ve not had a shot on target.
"It’s very similar to the end of Nuno’s reign back in October, where there was just a lack of creativity and no shots or anything like that. Conte’s got to find a way to get Spurs back on track, or else they won’t be playing Champions League football next season."
It's crunch time in the Premier League. While Manchester City and Liverpool are locked in a battle for the title – and the relegation fight gathers steam at the bottom end of the table – the fight for European football is also approaching a fascinating conclusion. Spurs, though, have a tough run-in.
"If they miss out, they’ll certainly be disappointed," Guest added. "Spurs are there in and abouts the top four, so there’ll be a massive disappointment if they get so close and just fall away at the final hurdle. There’s still five games to go and there’s going to be plenty of twists and turns.
"There’s some tricky games coming up, on Sunday against Leicester, and then they’ve got Liverpool the following week.
"They’ve got the north London derby against Arsenal, which potentially could be a decider. Having missed out on the Champions League in the past two seasons, Spurs certainly won’t want to make it three years on the trot."
All focus for Spurs is getting back to winning ways against a Leicester City side who are halfway through a two-legged UEFA Europa Conference League last-four tie against AS Roma. With Sunday's clash coming at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Guest views it as an opportunity for Spurs to reset their momentum.
"Home games, you need to be winning those if you want to finish in the top four," he explained. "Spurs have to get back on track after two really disappointing performances. Two weeks ago, when they played Brighton, the atmosphere was really, really good pre-game. Everyone was bang up for it.
"Things just didn’t click so Spurs need to get a good performance under their belt, get three points. We’re at the stage of the season where performances don’t really matter. You need to be getting the three points. That’s first and foremost.
"If you’re not getting results, a performance can give people a bit of hope going into the last games. They’re always tough games against Leicester. Brendan Rodgers has got a good side there."