Antonio Conte has stated that he is trying to exploit every single minute he spends on the training pitch with his Tottenham players. Arriving in north London at the start of November as he replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the hotseat, the new Spurs head coach hasn’t exactly had quality time at Hotspur Way with his team due to a hectic schedule.
Antonio Conte said: “We are doing what we did and will continue to do a physical work to match with the tactical work which is very important. If you want to give an identity to your team, you have to work. You have to work a lot. You can see very well in my one month and a half, I had the whole squad only for maybe two, three weeks where we played. I’m trying to exploit every minute that I have to work in many aspects with the players. This team has to improve the level and the physical aspect and the tactical aspect if you want to try to be competitive in this season. I know very well it’s not easy when you come into the season and you didn’t start the season. When you start the season you have three or four weeks of time to prepare your team but I’m enjoying working with these players because they are showing me great energy and will and desire to improve every aspect. We are doing this. I have seen the stats. Our stats are improving a lot.”
Back on the training pitch at Hotspur Way for over a week now, the head coach has admitted that his players are just glad to be back and involved in games again after such a frustrating past fortnight due to Covid.
Antonio Conte admitted: “Now the feeling in training is good. It’s good. Our players suffered to stay at home for 10 days. Some players make this situation in the best way. Others in a worse way. We had the players that wanted to play and that now are very, very happy. Before they were very sad because to stay at home and not do your job and not come to the training session and see your teammates is frustrating. Now we are happy. Now it is good. Now the situation is good if I compare it to two weeks ago when we stopped the training session and started again sessions with only 11, 12 players. We could not have with us the young players and it was very, very difficult to have the training session and keep confident and the feeling high. Now it’s good. We are in a good feeling and ready to play again and face this Christmas period.”
Returning to action with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Son Heung-min grabbed his team’s crucial second goal after capitalising on a big error from Alisson. Having watched him on TV in the past, Conte is extremely happy to have the opportunity to work day in, day out with the South Korean.
Antonio Conte said: “We are talking about a really world class player. I have seen him before becoming manager of Tottenham only on TV. He impressed me a lot. But when you have the possibility to train him and become his coach, you can see really the quality of this player. It’s fantastic because he had quality but also run, intensity, the resilience also, and I think that Sonny is a top player. Not a good player – a top player. For sure I try to improve him, to help him, but we are talking about a player that is now already at an important level. He has to continue in this way and have this anger, this desire, because we need to have players with ambition. If you have ambition it means you are never happy about your performance. You want always more, more, more and we need these players to improve the level of Tottenham. Sonny is one of these players.”
