MY ACCOUNT
Antonio Conte believes Tottenham are willing to be patient with him but unrealistic Spurs fans are not.
Pressure is building on Conte following a poor run that ended Tottenham’s hopes of winning silverware for another season.
Spurs exited the FA Cup to Sheffield United and the Champions League to Milan, while Liverpool and Newcastle United have games in hand in the Premier League top-four chase.
Conte remains in his post for now, but supporter sentiment appears to have turned – something the coach has noted.
“Here, the patience has finished for the fans,” Conte said. “The fans want to win a trophy. Stop.
“And then you have to find the right solution to make the fans happy and to win a trophy. Because the patience of the fans has finished. And we feel this. I feel this. The players feel this. For sure, this [does] not help the situation.
“There are many players, also young players, that need to go step by step to grow. We are trying to build something important but if you don’t have patience, it is not useful.”
He added: “We are far from being competitive to fight to win. I say we need time, we need patience.
“I see that here the environment has no patience, or maybe the environment doesn’t want to understand the reality.
“The club has the patience. But the problem is the club also has to make happy the fans, because the fans for many, many years are waiting to win something.
“I understand that it’s not easy for the club, not easy to invest a lot of money, and you are [not] sure to win. Maybe your probability improves, but we know we have to fight against top, top teams.
“You have to create the right atmosphere, the right unity, the right spirit, to be solid, for everybody to have the same idea. Or you have to believe in a miracle, and there is a big, big job to do here.
“I can put it all on myself, but I don’t want to kill myself. I have to take all the considerations, also for myself. If I have to put the stress and pressure only to myself, it is not right.
“It’s difficult for me to realise this situation because I am putting everything, me and the staff. At the same time, I understand that maybe it’s not enough.
“If I have to become [someone for] the people to take as a target? No. I am not this person.”
