Cristian Stellini challenges Tottenham's 'personality' after Everton draw

Tottenham interim manager Cristian Stellini has warned his squad they must improve their 'personality' after a late collapse against relegation-threatened Everton on Monday.

Spurs had been leading 1-0 thanks to a Harry Kane penalty but endured a nightmare end to the game as Lucas Moura was shown a straight red card for a nasty challenge on Michael Keane, who got up and scored a glorious long-range goal in the dying embers to snatch a point.

It was Spurs' previous collapse against Southampton which kickstarted Antonio Conte's eventual departure from the club, with the Italian regularly challenging the team's mentality and ability to deal with pressure.

Conte may be gone, but the message from Stellini remains the same.

“[Personality] is something we have to improve," he told the BBC Sport :It’s something we have to work on. It’s not an easy thing to do because obviously you need time to do it. It’s a long process but we have to continue the process we had before.

“We have to respect the plan. The game is tough because the opponent has energy.”

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Stellini continued: “I enjoyed the moment we started the game. We played a good game because we challenged them at the same level of strength. We play a good game, we were compact, we know it is not easy to come here.

“We have to respect them because they are strong in some aspects like set pieces and long balls. We did a good job, and we had some chances to score. We were unlucky not to do it. The only problem was when we play 11 vs 10. In that moment, we go 1-0 and we have to control the game much better with the ball.

“That was the expectation and the plan. But after the second red card, the game changed, and they found an amazing goal.

“It was important because with 11 men probably the game finishes differently.

“The boost changed completely. After the goal, the crowd went crazy. You need personality to play in this type of stadium, in this type of moment. We have to improve in the way we respect the opponent and when the game changes, we have to fight."

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