Antonio Conte is relishing the timing of Tottenham’s trip to Manchester United and the test if brings so he can gauge what his team’s level is right now. Spurs travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening sitting third in the Premier League table with Erik ten Hag’s United lying seven points behind in fifth with a game in hand. Conte’s team impressed last season in their match at United but were undone by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. The Tottenham head coach believes it is the perfect time to see where his team are at in their development as they make the journey to face one of the world’s biggest teams of recent decades.
Antonio Conte said: “We are talking about a top club with amazing history. I lived as a player at Juventus during their best period. I saw this fantastic period at United. For sure, to play at Old Trafford is not simple, not easy. It’s not a good place for the opponent, there is a fantastic atmosphere. But at the same time it’s a big theatre, you have to go there and play with personality, play your football, your ideas. This period is not a lucky period for United if you compare to 10 years ago, but only two years ago, don’t forget, United fought for the Premier League and finished second behind City. We are talking about a team that if they don’t make big mistakes they always stay in the top four, play Champions League and fight for the title and trophies. I’d like my team to go there and play with personality, with the desire to get three points. I think this will be a good step for us to go there to play with personality and try to get a win. We know very well it will be difficult, United won against Arsenal and Arsenal are top of the league. They lost only that game at Old Trafford. At the same time, I want us to go there and aspire to have a good performance and try to have a good result. Manchester United always have the power. Even in the last 10 years, every season, they had the power to go into the transfer market and to invest big, big money. They did this two years ago, when they finished second. They went into the transfer market to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane from Real Madrid. This power never finished at Old Trafford. Maybe the results were not at the same level as the investment, but United for the present and the future will always be a monster that you have to go to fight. They have big, big potential from an economic aspect.”
Conte believes that his Spurs team lost to one player rather than United as a team last season, but that lessons could also be taken from the game.
Antonio Conte said: “For sure when you lose you need to use the loss to try to learn something more, to avoid in the future to repeat the same mistakes. I think last season Cristiano Ronaldo was really important. We didn’t lose against United, we lost against Cristiano Ronaldo. He invested three goals, fantastic goals and I remember that before the game he was [not certain] of his presence in the formation, in the starting line-up. Instead he played and he scored three goals. On Wednesday it will be another important game. I think, compared to last season, we have improved in many aspects, but when you go to play against United especially at Old Trafford, it will be a difficult game. At the same time, I enjoy the fact that this test is coming now. We need to understand very well what are our ambitions and to continue to try to get good results.”
With the World Cup on the horizon next month, Conte was asked whether it presented a dilemma for players like Harry Kane as he hopes to avoid injury and missing out on leading his country to the showpiece tournament.
Antonio Conte said:”I can tell you that Harry wants to play every game. A player that wants to play every game is not scared of injury or about missing the World Cup. Harry like the other players is really focused on Tottenham,” said the head coach. I like to see this commitment and this behaviour from my players. For sure we are talking about an important competition with the World Cup, but at the same time I can speak about my players and I trust in my players, I trust in their commitment. I know that they are really focussed 100 per cent for our club and for me it is enough for this.”
The World Cup in Qatar will split the Premier League season in two and has not proved a popular decision with those in the game but Conte said it is too late to hit out at.
Antonio Conte said: “Now I think it is too late to complain. For sure in my opinion the whole football environment should have complained at the right time, not now. Now to complain, why did you not do it before? Maybe because the interest was so big for everybody that nobody wanted to complain. This is the truth otherwise the clubs, players and managers and media and fans would have complained about this decision. I didn’t complain because otherwise people say that I complain every time. Now it is too late and we have to live with this experience. Fingers crossed there will be no injuries and then we will see what happens. It’s a surprise, a new situation for everybody. I think that after this experience should be good, then we say we did it once now let’s continue to do it like the past. What we did in the past was perfect for everybody. I was a player at the World Cup and I played European Championship and to repeat this situation again I don’t like. After we have seen so many problematic situations there should be no doubt about this. Ok have the World Cup then stop and go back to playing it in the summer.”
