Spurs' Conte counting on experienced trio to lead top four charge

LONDON : Tottenham Hotspur's senior players Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min must step up and lead the team as the club try to finish in the Premier League top four and qualify for the Champions League, manager Antonio Conte said on Tuesday.

Spurs are eighth in the standings after a 3-2 defeat at Manchester United on Saturdya left them six points behind fourth-placed London rivals Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

"I have to ask a lot from Harry, Hugo, Sonny and these players in this moment. They have to lead the situation and keep us there until the end," Conte told reporters ahead of Wednesday's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

"For sure, in this moment, experience is very important. We don't have a lot of experience in this team.

"(Giving) 100per cent is not enough, we need to ask for 120per cent or 130per cent to try to help this type of target. It's very important to have these type of people to lead us and try to be very close."

Spurs' loss at Old Trafford was their fifth in eight league matches and the Italian coach said is looking for some consistency from his side.

"I have seen a lot of positive things but in the end the result is you lost 3-2, so there are negative things that we have to speak about. We have to improve," Conte said.

"This is a long road but we have to do our best and improve. The people that are watching our team know this team is improving and is strong and is playing to win. At the same time, to be a strong team you need to be stable."

Conte said the same squad that travelled to Manchester was available for the game at Brighton, who have dropped to 13th after a five-match losing streak.

The Spurs manager said his side's last 11 games would be challenging, with several teams competing for