Thomas Tuchel says he and Antonio Conte have very similar coaching attributes ahead of two of the very top managers in Europe facing off at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Thomas Tuchel said: “We cannot just play like Inter played and hope that will bring the best out of Romelu. That was a fantastic season because Antonio Conte is a fantastic coach. That system he played at Inter did not only suit Romelu and the second striker Lautaro Martinez, it fits the whole squad. If you don’t have five defenders you cannot play with a back five. It’s as easy as that. If you don’t have a winger you cannot play with a winger. Conte played 3-4-3 at Chelsea. At Inter he played 3-5-2. Obviously he is adapting to his players and implementing his ideas, and this is what I do. I put my players in positions where they are confident they can help the team. This is what Antonio Conte does in every league he works, at an outstanding level. I have nothing but full respect. He is such an emotional and influential coach at the sideline. I really love to watch his team play. It will be a pure pleasure to play against him. We are fully aware how successful he was at Chelsea and I have no doubt he will be successful at Tottenham. He is a top top top level coach, no doubt.”