MY ACCOUNT
Antonio Conte is looking for Tottenham to continue improving when they travel to Manchester United as the two teams battle for a Champions League place.
After hammering Everton 5-0 on Monday, Tottenham sit just two points behind the fifth-placed United with two games in hand and are looking to strike a huge blow in the top-four race on Saturday.
Conte has won four of his six meetings with United in all competitions, most recently winning the FA Cup final 1-0 against them as Chelsea coach in May 2018. However, the Italian has lost on both of his visits to Old Trafford.
Ahead of the crucial clash, Conte spoke about the improvements made by his team recently and suggested that the Red Devils’ struggles had offered hope for his team in the battle for the top four.
“I think we’ve improved, and we are improving through our work every day,” he said. “We’re ready to understand what our level is now.
“They [United] lost the derby [4-1 at Manchester City last week], and you know very well the importance of this type of game. But, we have to try to give continuity, to think of ourselves, not of others. We want to show our progress.
“It’s an important game on Saturday, [against] a team that is fighting this season for a place in the Champions League. Normally they stay regularly in this position, but this season they’re struggling a lot.
“For this reason, we have to try to give our best to stay very close to the top of the table. Then, at the end of the season, we’ll see what happens.”
Conte’s arrival at Spurs has brought dramatic improvements in their attacking play. In their last two outings, Spurs registered 4-0 and 5-0 wins over Leeds United and Everton, and are looking to net at least four goals in three consecutive league games for the first time since February 2004.
Meanwhile, Conte was again asked about the situation facing his former club Chelsea, whose owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Italian, however, suggested that players and coaches cannot be held responsible for the actions of their owners, only for their own performances.
“In every situation, you have to take responsibility,” the 52-year-old said. “When you work you have to take responsibility.
“I think this is a type of problem. The job is a player and for me my job is a coach. This question could be also for other sports, not only for football.
“The moment the club decides to put you in charge, me as a coach or as a player, the most important thing is to take responsibility to give your best for the club.”
Conte, who lifted the Premier League and the FA Cup during his two-year spell at Stamford Bridge, was also keen to stress that the publicity surrounding Chelsea’s ownership should not detract from their past successes.
He added: “We are talking about four or five years ago. We’re talking about a fantastic club, with an owner that made this club big.
“Don’t forget that in the period he was the owner, Chelsea won everything, but it was for Chelsea.
“I think also we have seen other Russian owners in other teams. Not only in football but in many sports.”
