Antonio Conte has revealed that it is his ambition to win the Premier League title with Tottenham Hotspur but has made it abundantly clear that a lot of work must be done beforehand.
The Italian has previously spoken about the gap that exists in quality between his side and the likes of Chelsea and called for time to rectify the situation (Guardian).
Conte arrived at Tottenham in November having won the Serie A title with Inter Milan last season and also has enjoyed success with Juventus and Chelsea in what has been a trophy-laden managerial career to date.
The 52-year-old was asked about insisted that he is not content in pushing for a top four finish with Tottenham and instead is looking to bring silverware to the club, but urged supporters to be patient while he looks to bring the club’s structure up to the required standard.
Tottenham head into this evening’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton knowing it represents their last chance of winning a trophy this season, having last enjoyed success thirteen years ago.
He told Football.London: “My first target, I repeat, is to try to create a foundation for this team and for this club. The results are later,”
“If you don’t have a good foundation, if you don’t create a good structure, then we speak about nothing. You can only hope. You start the season and you have to hope to win the Carabao Cup, you have to hope to win the FA Cup, you have to hope to win the league. You have to hope for a Champions League place. You have to hope.
“Instead, if you work with a vision, if you work very hard, if you start to build a good foundation, a good structure … then you had hope but [now] also [you have] the possibility the match to win.
“In this moment we have to work a lot. Compared to the past, I think we are now a bit better because we are more complete as a squad but the path in front of us is long and it’s important to understand this, that we want to start to go on this path.
“This is the most important thing for me, to speak about to win the league. I don’t like, if you ask me about the race for the Champions League. My ambition is to win league, not to go to the Champions League.
“My ambition is to be competitive, to fight to win. At this moment I know very well that the situation is different and we are working very hard to try to improve the situation, to reduce the gap and also, the mistakes of the past, to try to make good solutions, to continue to improve.”
He added: “To win and [have] a place in the Champions League, you can dream this, yes, but then you have to prepare the situation, to have this target … not only to start the season and say: ‘Ok, I hope to win this, I hope to win this, I hope to win this.’ Yes, but do you have the structure to do this? Yes, you are ready, or not, we are not ready, but we will do everything to reach the best result.
“For sure, we will do everything, from now until the end of the season to reach the best result for Tottenham, because I think the fans deserve this.
“To see a team in every game give 100 and more per cent, to try to win and give satisfaction to our fans, but it’s important to know that this is a starting point. Honestly, and now we have to go if we want to go. Otherwise there are other solutions.”
SpursWeb Opinion
You have to admire how upfront Conte is with his ambition, it would have been a lot safer for the Italian to say he was aiming for a top four finish rather than reveal his ambition of winning the Premier League title with Spurs.
He is a born winner, it is infectious and will hopefully inspire the rest of the squad.