Tottenham Hotspur may have just delivered their best performance of the season in the win against Fulham today, but Antonio Conte is not getting carried away as he reiterates the need for ‘time and patience’ when it comes to expectations placed on his squad.
A dominant display against newly-promoted Fulham sees Spurs maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season. Conte’s side were able to dictate possession and create a wealth of attacking opportunities as they improved on previous performances.
With the Lilywhites sitting in third place in the league and a positive atmosphere among the fanbase after an impressive win, it would be easy to get excited about the season ahead. But, Antonio Conte has tempered expectations once more.
Before the Fulham game, Conte explained that he needs ‘other signings’ if his Spurs side are to be truly competitive at the top level (via Football.London). Now, in his post-match press conference (via Football.London), Conte has been careful not to get carried away.
He said: “[It’s] important to have great enthusiasm and be excited for the team but at the same time I have to be realistic and don’t forget that last November the situation was really problematic because we lost 3-0 at home against United.
“In only 10 months, if someone thinks we cancel everything and be at the same level of the other top teams, I think this is not realistic. If I want to tell you a lie I can tell you a lie, but honestly, I want to tell you the truth.
“On the other hand, I am the first to push myself and push my players and tell them to play this season with ambition to be competitive, but we finished last season with 20 points less than City and Liverpool, and there was a lot of trouble last season for the club.”
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Conte is clearly happy with how things are going, but is also keen to stress the importance of the bigger picture: “Now I think we are doing good things but it’s really soon to give an unrealistic judgement, in my opinion.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be competitive with ambition to fight for something important.
“I have a bit of experience to tell you that we need time and patience and when there is the possibility in the transfer market, don’t make big mistakes because we don’t have the possibility to do mistakes.”
Spurs Web Opinion
As always, Antonio Conte is absolutely right. Spurs have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and have come on leaps and bounds since last year – the proof of that is clear to see in the fact that they have picked up eight points from games they struggled in last season.
While the improvements are encouraging, we have to be realistic and recognise that closing the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool will take some time. Spurs are on the up, and this could be a fantastic season if they continue in this fashion, but we shouldn’t count on a title challenge just yet.
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