Micah Richards defends Antonio Conte amid reports he may be SACKED after his rant on Saturday

Micah Richards has defended Tottenham manager Antonio Conte after an extraordinary tirade following the 3-3 draw with Southampton.

Conte returned to Italy when Daniel Levy seriously considered sacking him following a series of explosive interviews after Saturday’s draw, which came after Spurs won 3-1.

The manager got into his players and questioned their lack of desire and attitude, which he felt had created an ‘unacceptable’ situation at the club.

While many felt Conte was acting selfishly, Sportsmail columnist Richards was sympathetic to the Premier League-winning manager.

“Spurs were crying out for a top manager but if you get Conte you know what he’s coming with,” he told BBC 5 Live.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte launched an extraordinary tirade at his players after the game.

“If he gives you a trophy, you can live with that, but unfortunately for Conte, he’s finding it difficult to cross the line.” [At Tottenham].’

‘At the end of the day when you’re a human being, maybe he’s at the end of his rope. If it seems like he’s giving it his all and he’s not getting it back, that’s where the excitement comes from.”

Richards felt that Conte’s failure at the club stemmed from a ‘cultural’ problem at Tottenham, as he explained: ‘Spurs have gotten used to doing well, they reached the Champions League final, they have a new stadium, they have done Well.

‘Conte is passionate, he is a winner. I understand his frustration at being a great coach and not being able to deliver what he wants to do at Spurs. You can get a winning manager, but you also need the culture to change.’

Defending the Italian’s willingness to speak uncomfortable truths at home, Richards compared the incident to his days as a player at Manchester City.

‘We had Mark Hughes at Man City, we had Sven [Goran Eriksson]’ he said, ‘both very good managers, but they didn’t like to have awkward conversations.

‘With [Roberto] Mancini, she had been out eight months with a knee injury, the first interview she gave me when I got back said she was made of glass. He said it was too soft.

Micah Richards defended the tirade as the actions of a ‘passionate’ manager ‘at the end of his rope’

Conte (L) is in danger of being sacked as Spurs boss by chairman Daniel Levy (R)

“That didn’t affect me, it made me want to show him, some players will take it literally, but sometimes you need home truths.”

Whether Conte was justified in Saturday’s tirade or not, it looked to be the latest chapter of a miserable season for the north London outfit.

After limping out of the FA Cup and Champions League this month, their top four hopes may now be in jeopardy as well, with Newcastle just two points behind them with two games in hand.

Next Tottenham will play Everton on April 3, at which point they may be under new management.