Antonio Conte: Tottenham’s resurgence underpinned by continuity
Antonio Conte: Tottenham’s resurgence underpinned by continuity. There are no points. Last season in the Premier League, Tottenham accomplished nada after playing at home against Southampton and Wolves and traveling to take on Chelsea.
In the current season, though, Spurs have already accumulated seven points from those identical matches, and their undefeated start has put the attention on the versatile squad that Antonio Conte is shaping.
Spurs have demonstrated a wide spectrum of abilities, from their fluid opening day success over Southampton to their nervy 2-2 draw at Chelsea and their steely 1-0 win over Wolves. This is the pinnacle of Conte’s tenure with his teammates.
He told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview that the Spurs’ next match against Nottingham Forest on Super Sunday was a sign that the team was maturing and ready to take on a variety of challenges. “As manager, we lost 3-2 at home to Southampton, 2-0 at Chelsea, and 2-0 at home to Wolves last season.
“Now that we have developed to the point where we can get seven points against these clubs, that implies we are doing well. Even if we can’t stop now, I must say that I am really impressed with the team’s perseverance and ability to endure adversity.”
Declarations
Next, Conte said “It is crucial for coaches to maintain consistency in their interactions with their teams. To have a solid eight months of work behind us was crucial.
“We didn’t have to start from scratch; rather, we were already operating at a moderate level. We’ve done great work on the physical side of things, and now we need to keep making incremental improvements.
Being competitive against teams that have been working under the same coach for many years and have remained at the top is no simple feat, but I believe we are on the right route to accomplishing this.
As important as it was for Conte to have time to instil his message, having players who were receptive to and capable of carrying out his instructions was crucial to Spurs’ change.
This summer’s influx of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, and Djed Spence, along with the losses of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, and Steven Bergwijn, among others, has resulted in a squad that is now very much in the image of Conte.
Statements
“Like every club we strived to develop,” he said. “With four upcoming competitions, I believe that our team needed to evolve and get better.
“Our team is stronger in both numbers and quality than it was last season. Playing a game every three days is a demanding schedule, but it’s worth it to see if your team’s strength and competitiveness emerges.”
Spurs manager Antonio Conte will be eager to continue the club’s promising start in the Premier League in a competition that has plagued his managerial career: the Champions League. He led Spurs back into the competition by eliminating their north London rivals, Arsenal.
Even though he won the Champions League with Juventus as a player, after retiring Conte has struggled to make an impact in Europe, winning only 14 of his 54 games as a manager in the Champions League.
When compared to Conte’s accomplishments in domestic football, however, this record is unrecognisable. Fortunately, with a group stage matchup against Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon, and Marseille, the opportunity to correct this misconception exists.
Will fortune shine on Conte and Spurs as they chase European glory?
First and foremost, we are thrilled to have earned a spot in the Champions League, as Conte put it. “There were times last season when things were really tough for Tottenham, so when I arrived in November, nobody had any hope that we would be able to compete in the Champions League.
“Let’s take some fun in this intense rivalry. We need to remember to keep our egos in check, because our team has a lot of harmonies. We’d love to advance to the knockout phase, but we also realise that beating the world’s finest teams will be no easy feat.
“We’re striving to be competitive, to put up a fight and demonstrate that we’re making progress, but the Champions League has a long tradition of being difficult to win.
“You can be skilled and powerful, but you also need good fortune from the gods of the draw to avoid serious injuries at crucial times. It’s not easy to win this competition.
“In the Premier League, the winning side is the one that is the most consistent across a full season of 38 games. In the Champions League, however, there are many different situations, and you need a bit of luck, if you want to win it.”
Spurs will face a club with European roots on Sunday when they go to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest, a club that was recently promoted after relegation.
Conte lays out a straightforward message for Spurs: “When playing a newly promoted team in their first season, you can expect a really challenging atmosphere with a lot of noise during the game.
“With four points already in the bag, Nottingham Forest has made a strong start to the season and has been actively pursuing roster improvements via the trade market.
The media and my players always hear the same thing from me: “it’s not going to be an easy game, you know you have to fight, to go with 100 percent attention and concentration, else you will drop points, draw, or lose.”
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