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Tag: Conte

  • Conte invites Christian Eriksen to train with Tottenham

    Conte invites Christian Eriksen to train with Tottenham

    Manager Antonio Conte says “the door is always open” for Christian Eriksen to train at Tottenham as he chases his dream of playing at the 2022 World Cup.

    Eriksen, 29, suffered cardiac arrest while playing at Euro 2020 in June and said earlier this week that he “died for five minutes” when he collapsed.

    He is looking for a new club after leaving Inter Milan as rules meant he could no longer play in Serie A.

    Conte said Eriksen is a “really important player” and a “top man”.

    The Italian signed Eriksen from Tottenham during his time at Inter Milan.

    Eriksen helped Conte win the Serie A title last season but was no longer able to represent the club as players fitted with the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) he required after his collapse cannot compete in Serie A.

    Eriksen has now been filmed striking balls on his own in training and this week said he feels “back in top shape” with an aim of playing for Denmark at the World Cup in Qatar.

    Asked if Eriksen could train with Tottenham, Conte said: “For sure, it was great, it was fine, to see him on a pitch, to see that he is kicking a ball.

    “What happened this summer was very not good, not good, for the people that worked with him, and the people that know him. I was scared in that moment.

    “And now, to see him again ready to play football is great news. I think for Christian, the door is always open.”

  • I have a lot of affection for Lukaku – Conte

    I have a lot of affection for Lukaku – Conte

    Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says he retains his admiration for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.

    Lukaku has infuriated Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and the Blues support after a disparaging interview on Italian television this week.

    Asked about his former Inter Milan striker, Conte said: “I have a lot of affection for him, but he is a Chelsea player.”

    The Spurs manager also said: “There will be arrivals this winter.

    “When I signed, I was promised a meeting to talk about possible reinforcements.”

  • Tottenham boost top-four hopes after Palace win

    Tottenham boost top-four hopes after Palace win

    Tottenham scored twice in two first-half minutes to set up a victory over Crystal Palace and keep up the pressure on the Premier League top four.

    Harry Kane opened the scoring with his second goal in as many games, before Lucas Moura doubled their lead with a powerful header from close range.

    Palace, who had asked the Premier League to postpone the game because of a Covid-19 outbreak, which included a positive test for manager Patrick Vieira, never got going in north London.

    With Vieira self-isolating, assistant manager Osian Roberts took charge of the team, which had to play for nearly an hour with 10 men.

    Their talisman Wilfried Zaha felt aggrieved about his sending off for two bookable offences in the first half, before Son Heung-min sealed the win with a third for Tottenham after the break.

    Spurs are unbeaten in six league games under Antonio Conte and are six points behind fourth-place Arsenal with three games in hand, while Palace are 12th in the table.

  • Kane shows me his commitment every day – Conte

    Kane shows me his commitment every day – Conte

    Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is convinced of the commitment of Harry Kane.

    While there exists speculation that Kane will again seek to leave Spurs next summer after missing a move to Manchester City this year, Conte is convinced his star striker is happy where he is.

    The Italian said, “Harry showed me great availability and showed me (that he is) totally involved in the Tottenham project.

    “I see him every day and I see that he is happy. He leads on the training ground, he leads in the locker room and he leads during training sessions in a fantastic way.

    “I am happy with what I see every day.”

  • I pity Antonio Conte at Tottenham – Roy Keane

    I pity Antonio Conte at Tottenham – Roy Keane

    Manchester United legend, Roy Keane, has expressed his sympathy for Tottenham boss, Antonio Conte and believes the Italian faces an unenviable task in his attempt to make Spurs a winning team.

    Having successfully managed Chelsea and Inter Milan, Conte joined Tottenham at the start of November.

    The former Juventus boss has made a positive early impression at north London with Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool further evidence of the impact at the club.

    Keane is a huge admirer of the Italian but believes the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager will struggle to repeat the successes he has enjoyed elsewhere.

    “Everyone likes Conte. Obviously, his CV is brilliant. Again the timing he’s gone in there, Spurs must be a hard job,” Keane told Skybet.

    A recent documentary shows the attitude of Tottenham players, their medical and backroom staff before a football match.

    Keane noted that there was no discipline among the players and staff, even the team’s captain Harry Kane, who tries to address the players before every game.

    The former Manchester United star expressed shock in terms of what was going on at the club.

    “The medical room, everybody on their phones. They showed a couple of players falling out. It might have been Alli and Dier but they were arguing like children,” he added.

    “There was no aggression. It wasn’t real. They were like actors, there was no emotion behind it.

    “Harry Kane was doing a talk before the game and I was like ‘Harry you need to liven up man’.”

  • I can’t afford to start games without Kane – Conte

    I can’t afford to start games without Kane – Conte

    Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says he won’t consider managing Harry Kane’s games through the Christmas programme.

    Kane, 28, has only scored ONE Premier League goal in 12 matches this season.

    But asked if Kane needed a rest over the festive period, Conte replied: “To start a game without Harry now is a bit difficult for me.

    “We’re talking about an important player for us, an important player for all.

    “I hope to improve the situation, to improve the confidence of all players and to see that maybe without Harry we can cover the situation.

    “Not in the same way but in a way that can be good to get three points. Now in this moment, honestly, I don’t see this team starting without Harry.”

    Conte expects him to find his scoring boots soon and bag plenty of goals before Santa arrives.

    The Italian, 52, said: “I’m sure Harry is going to score many goals.

    “I’m sure he’s going to have a good performance in the same way he had against Brentford on Thursday, but against every team we play.

    “I’m very pleased for the way that he’s playing. I know the striker wants to score but we want to give him many chances to score. We’re on the right path to do this type of situation.”

  • Spurs beat Brentford as Conte unbeaten league start continues

    Spurs beat Brentford as Conte unbeaten league start continues

    Antonio Conte’s unbeaten league start as Tottenham boss continued as they kept pace with the top four with a comfortable win over a lacklustre Brentford.

    A 12th-minute own goal from right wing-back Sergi Canos gave them the lead, before Son Heung-min finished off a scintillating counter-attack in the second half.

    The opener came from a Son dinked cross after a short corner, with Pontus Jansson’s clearing header ricocheting off Ben Davies and onto Canos before flying into the roof of the net.

    Spurs pressed for more goals, with Son denied from range in the first half, while Harry Kane saw a one-on-one effort well saved by Alvaro Fernandez after the break.

    Son got the goal that his performance, and Spurs’ display, deserved when he latched onto Sergio Reguilon’s cross to tap home from six yards.

    It was a limp display from Brentford, with their only shot on target in the whole game a tame left-footed effort from Ivan Toney.

    Tottenham climb to sixth – two points behind West Ham in fourth – while Brentford slip to 12th.

  • Conte admits he’s beginning to ‘understand’ Tottenham problems

    Conte admits he’s beginning to ‘understand’ Tottenham problems

    Antonio Conte admits he is starting to “understand” how bad the situation has become at Tottenham.

    Spurs delivered an insipid performance in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Slovenian side NS Mura.

    Conte has stressed that he is not a “magician” and will need time to fix Tottenham’s problems.

    “I must be honest and tell you that after three and a half weeks, I am starting to understand the situation,” Conte said. “I can tell you that the situation is not simple.

    “It is not simple because in this moment, for sure, the level of Tottenham is not so high. There is an important gap to the top teams in England. Of this we must not be scared. I am here to work, here to improve the situation.

    “I know that in this moment we need to have patience, time and I am here because I know there are problems to solve. After three-and-a-half weeks, I am happy to stay here but at the same time I must be honest and tell you we need to work a lot to improve the quality of the [current] squad. We are Tottenham and Tottenham in this moment, there is an important gap.”

  • Conte explains Del Piero presence at Tottenham training

    Conte explains Del Piero presence at Tottenham training

    Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has explained the visit of Alessandro del Piero to training yesterday.

    A friend of Conte’s, visited the Tottenham training ground while in London.

    “Alessandro came here to visit us,” Conte said. “He was in London as a guest for Sky, for the game Chelsea-Juventus. It was good to see him. We played together. We won together. It was good to see him after a long time.”

    Harry Kane was eager to be introduced to the Italian legend.

    Conte added: “We are talking about two world class strikers. It was good for Harry to see Alessandro.”

  • Tottenham my most difficult challenge – Antonio Conte

    Tottenham my most difficult challenge – Antonio Conte

    Antonio Conte says he decided to take the Tottenham job thanks to the ambitions of chairman Daniel Levy.

    Conte admits a chat with Levy convinced him of the board’s plans.

    He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “When Levy returned to the office, he convinced me by showing that he wanted me to coach all costs.

    “In his project I perceived a vision. I speak of ambition and the desire to excel. I thought that such an organised reality deserved on-field sporting results. I saw the challenge in front of me, the light that makes me multiply my energy.

    “I have never made comfortable choices, but this one from Tottenham is certainly the most difficult and therefore the most stimulating.”