Antonio Conte's key message to his Tottenham players may provide Daniel Levy a transfer reality

Antonio Conte has mentioned commitment in a number of his press conferences, but Daniel Levy's help will be needed to help Tottenham make the much needed step up in quality.

Spurs produced an energetic and improved performance in their fourth round FA Cup tie against Brighton but in their most recent fixture against Southampton, they failed to keep that up, ending in a 3-2 defeat.

Against Graham Potter's side, the Lilywhites had 12 shots with seven on target to Brighton's 13 with five on target.

However, against the Saints, Tottenham had just eight shots to Southampton's 23 and struggled against a constant press that Ralph Hassenhuttl's side produced.

In Spurs' two most recent matches their two January arrivals, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur have come on to try and make an impact in the game and the latter has already shown impressive moments.

During the winter window, the Lilywhites did most of their business on deadline day, sending out four first team players and welcoming the Juventus duo.

There have been improvements made to a number of individuals since the arrival of the Italian but there are still a number of mistakes in performances which are preventing Tottenham getting maximum points from games.

Sloppy passing and a lack of consistency and creativity are all still prominent in large spells during matches and if that continues, the struggles the Lilywhites are currently facing, may continue.

After the defeat to Southampton on Wednesday, Conte praised his players for the commitment they showed throughout the game, something he has mentioned on a number of occasions previously.

"We have to struggle and give 120 per cent, and I repeat the effort today [Wednesday] was the maximum," he admitted in his post