antonio conte happy
That was a game that had a bit of everything, good and bad, how do you sum up that display?
I think this type of game made many, many, many people very happy because if you’re in the stadium to watch a game like this, 4-3, I think attractive football. You want to see this type of game every time because it’s funny, but you know that if I have to see the positive aspect for sure my players showed me in this period great character.
Maybe in a lot of games we were losing and then we came back. For this reason, I think the positive things are that we showed great character, great desire and great will not to give up and to believe, to believe in the win. I try every day to transfer this concept that we have to start the game and then until the end we need to fight and see what happened. Never give up, this is our mantra. This is the positive side.
Negative side, to concede three goals is never good. A team that wants to be competitive, to concede three goals is never positive. For this reason, if you want to reach a good result you need to find stability.
In this last period we never showed stability. I can think that the last period was really tough for everybody, for all the clubs, to play 13 games in 43 days was really tough, because it was impossible to work on the [training] pitch on the tactical aspect. One day to recovery and then the next day to recover the game. For sure when you don’t work on that tactical aspect you are going to lose something, especially defensively we lost, we lost a lot I think.
But there is the positive aspect that we finished this period after a big effort in the next round Champions League, we finished first in our group, and then to stay in the top four in the Premier League is always good news, especially for us. It means that the effort was really big and at the same time I have to be really pleased with the commitment and behaviour of my players and honestly I have to consider everything and for this reason I think that we did a really good job in the first half of the season.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski had a big impact today as they’ve done since arriving almost a year ago, does their impact show that you have to get the transfers right again this January?
You know very well that if you want to be competitive and if you want to be really considered a title contender, or considered a team to win a trophy, you need players with great quality. You see the example of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea and these teams are really strong. Strong squad with a great quality.
For this reason, when I speak with you and I tell you that after only one year, don’t forget that we were playing in the Conference League after we finished seventh, it means that you need a process. You need time.
You need patience, you need the transfer market to improve the, squad, the quality of your squad. Today you have seen the difference to have Kulusevski and Richarlison rather than not.
It’s important for me the coach also to work with these players. If you see the improvement of Rodrigo and the improvement of Hojbjerg. In my opinion, I see huge improvement.
You have to match this. To improve the players but you need time to improve the quality of you if you want to fight for something important in the Premier League or the Champions League. The quality of the players is really important.
Did Harry Kane ask to come off late on?
First of all, I have to be honest and I think in this period, especially the last 13 games, Harry played a really important role. If we finish this period in the top four and to have qualification for the next round of the Champions League, we have to place a lot on Harry because in this period we had many injuries but injuries up front. We lost Kulusevski and he only played this game. Then we lost Richarlison and without Lucas Moura from the start was difficult.
Sonny also struggled a bit at the start of the season. I think Harry honestly deserves great praise because he is always an important player, but in this period I think a lot of weight was on his shoulder and he played in a fantastic way. Now he is arriving to play the World Cup with great enthusiasm, in a good physical condition and in my opinion he is mentally stronger than before. I see a player that is ready and I see in his eyes the desire to be a protagonist in the best competition in the world in the World Cup.
Did this game sum up Tottenham’s season?
This type of game you have to accept because this period was really strange and was really tough. I repeat and I think for every coach it was difficult. You don’t want this type of game because this type of game shows a lot of instability in one side and in another side. But for this period you have to accept this and I take the positive side because we showed great desire to get three points and to finish well this period. We have to try to continue to work and to improve. If you ask me am I happy? I am really happy because we face a lot of problems in this first part of the season, not only injuries and don’t forget in this last period we lost a big friend, a big person in Gian Piero. I think this situation affected emotionally the players a lot because Gian Piero with many players had a fantastic relationship. For this reason I go to rest happy. Happy for what I have seen in this tough period.
With Harry Kane, how has he improved mentally?
Honestly I’m talking about what I’m seeing in my period. Before I knew Harry from watching him because we played sometimes against him, but to be his coach and to see the way he has decided that he has to improve himself is really important. On my side, I try with every single player, I don’t care if you are talking about Harvey White, I try to push every single player to try to become better, but also it’s happening with Harry. I think Harry, we are talking about a really world-class striker. He can continue to improve and to become stronger and stronger. I think so.
Now he’s arriving at this World Cup in the best physical condition and also mental condition. I think he feels a lot of responsibility because he’s the captain of England. I consider England to be one of the best teams in the world, one of the candidates to have an important tournament. For this reason, I know he wants to play an amazing tournament. I wish for him the best and for England because Italy is not playing in the World Cup and for this reason I can become a supporter of England!”
What would make you happy in the second half of the season?
We have to be pleased because to stay in the top four and to reach the next round of the Champions League is a big achievement for us. If you compare this period with one year ago. Then you know in the second part of the season will be really tough. We don’t know what will happen in the World Cup.
Fingers crossed for my players and the injuries. The injuries affected us [in this part] a lot and the performance of the team. We lost points. The injuries were up front, Kulusevski, Richarlison, Moura and Sonny and when that happened, the injuries were in only one area of the squad. That makes it more difficult.
My hope is to have all the players available for the second part of the season. Then we’ll see. For sure there is a great desire to continue to improve our path. The Champions League is a tournament in which anything can happen. It’s important to arrive in the best physical condition with all the players.
In the past it happened for Tottenham to reach the final because especially with this short tournament anything can happen. To win the Premier League, the winner in the end is always the one who best, the team deserves to win across 38 games.
In a short competition we’ll try to do our best in the Champions League. We know our opponent is an important opponent but we know the game will be balanced. Then to improve. We want to try improve on the points we got last season and to do better. These are our targets.
