antonio conte happy
Was that the performance you needed against an organised Preston team?
We are happy because we started the game like we expected from the team. We made some changes but nothing changed from the last performance so we have to be happy for that. We created a comfortable second half because we played a great first half and the ball moved quickly. We have only to wait for the right moment to find the solution like Sonny did. It was a great performance.
Two great goals for Son, that will be big for his confidence won’t it?
Absolutely yes. He’s a top player. He has only to wait for the right moment and feel comfortable to find the space to attack and to play one vs one and this evening was a good game for him.
Did Son feel that extra responsibility tonight with no Harry Kane there?
I think so. We can feel this from Sonny and without Harry he was the most important striker for us and we played with Perisic not in his perfect position so Sonny was important to find a way to score and to let the team win.
Has Son been galvanised by the arrival of Arnaut Danjuma and the added competition?
Danjuma, it was a good start for him to score in his first game. We are looking forward to working with him, we have to discover this guy, he can play in many positions in the three in front. We are happy for that but I also want to mention the three at the back because they played a really good game. Sanchez was captain, it was a good match for Patron and all the three at the back.
What’s wrong with Richarlison?
He has a small problem in the last few days. We tried to recover him but it was not a good idea to recover him. We had just Harry Kane sick and so it was not a good idea to risk him. We will find Richarlison next week.
What exactly is his injury, is it his hamstring again?
No, no, no, it was a different injury. He recovered well, he has a small problem in his adductor but nothing special.
What did you make of Preston tonight?
We started very well and our pace in the game was high and we allowed them only to try to find the ball, to try to take the ball. They defended very well in the first half but they ran a lot and I mentioned the three in the back because they never allowed them to counter attack in the first half and it was a good first half. Then the difference in the second half was Sonny finding the target and that created the comfort.
Was it only a matter of time after the first half?
I think it was energy and they had problems because they ran a lot in the first half and it’s not easy to play against a team like us. The difference, you have to show the difference and we asked our players to follow the last game against Fulham and we started very well again.
At various points during the game the away fans were singing songs about Sol Campbell, including one in particular which is very offensive. Especially this season when you’ve had tragedy at the club with a member of the coaching staff passing away, is it acceptable for Spurs fans to sing such songs?
Honestly I didn’t hear this. I discover now what you said. It’s not for me a moment to comment on this, but I hope it never happens again.
How important is it for Spurs’ ambitions this season to have Son back on top form?
It’s important. It’s important because we spoke a lot about changing mentality and what it means to change mentality is really important to have players who didn’t play the last game and if we make changes the result is the same. For Antonio it’s very important to have a team and a squad where every player plays the same level and nothing changes if you make changes. This is a good point to start because we have a tough schedule and a lot of games to play, with games every three days and we need to have the confidence to make changes.
