antonio conte happy
You played less than 72 hours ago yet your midfield pairing are running up the pitch to score in the 86th minute, just how pleased were you with the energy of your team?
Yeah, (laughs) I was not surprised but for sure to see the intensity that we played with tonight in this game it was for me really positive because it means that if you work and you work in the right way then the performance of your players is always up. We played only two days and a half ago but I have seen my players run from the start to the end, to press and show high intensity. I’m really delighted, especially for the players because these performances are repaying the effort that they put in every day that they do in the training session.
What did you make of the contributions of Matt Doherty and also Yves Bissouma from the bench?
About Matthew, honestly I’m really happy, really happy. He played a good game against Brighton but today he played better than the last game. He played well in the last game and I was happy also with it but today I have seen again the Matt Doherty of last season. I was really pleased and said to him ‘finally now you are the player that I know!’. It’s important, important for us because to play all these games in a short period, it is important to have all the players available. Also, Ivan Perisic today played in the way that I know him. Also Ivan for his injury before he struggled a bit to have a good performance. Yes normal performance but my expectation about him are like today, to play like the top. Bissouma played a really good game. I think that when we go to play with a midfield three, for him it’s in this moment it’s better to have two midfielders with him. His impact was really, really positive. I think it’s his understanding that he’s in a top club and the pressure is different and the level of the intensity of the training sessions are more higher so the focus has to be every, every moment at the top. The demands are a lot and he’s understanding this. We’re talking about a really good player and he played really well and I’m happy for this.
What made you change the system when Richarlison came off?
I changed the system because for the characteristics of this squad we can play with the three strikers in a 3-4-3 or at the same time we can play with the 3-5-2 with the three midfielders. In that moments I preferred to pick Bissouma because Lucas has only one week been working with us. In this moment his physical condition is not at the top and we needed to play 40 minutes and for this reason I decided to pick Bissouma. Then the other option is Gil. He is younger and he’s a really good prospect and he’s improving but in that moment we needed a player more prepared. Also to be strong physically because Everton are really strong physically and in the end after a win I think my decision was good.
What’s the news on Richarlison and his injury? Will he be fit to face Manchester United?
Yeah for sure he’s out against Manchester United, for sure. He felt something in his calf and he won’t be available for that game. I don’t know but I think he needs a bit of time to recover. It’s a pity because we are talking about a player that gives us a lot of quality but at the same time also is strong and he improves our intensity. The problem with Kulusevski also needs time to recover. Fingers crossed for the next games because we have to play many many games in a short period. If you have the squad penalised with injuries it becomes a bit difficult but today we showed that we are ready to overcome every difficulty.
This is Tottenham’s best start in the league for nearly 60 years, how positive are you feeling about what Spurs can achieve this season and how positive should the fans be?
I didn’t honestly know that [it was the best start]. Before the game people told me that if we won it would be the best start for Tottenham. For me it was the same because for me it’s vital to play and get three points, then I’m happy. If I don’t win I’m not happy. To have this good start is positive. It’s important because it means we’re working well with the players and the club. We’re doing everything with common sense in my opinion. We know each other and our possibilities. We have to continue in this way and for sure I’m really happy for our fans because when you play and you have around you this atmosphere. The fans push you from the start until the end and they sing your names, it makes us proud and they give us a lot of push to give more and more for this club.
It’s now 10 wins in a row at home for Spurs, what’s been the key to that home form?
I think that when we play at home this stadium has to become our fortress. This is very important that this message arrives to our fans because they play an important role, an important part in this situation. To play against a team with the fans with the support that pushes their team in this way, it makes your life difficult if you are the opponent. It means the same for us when we played for example against Sporting Lisbon it was really difficult for us and it was the same against Eintracht Frankfurt. Now I think to play in our stadium has to become very difficult, very tough for every team that is coming to play.
