Ben Davies has said that while the Tottenham players were in the very capable hands of Cristian Stellini over recent weeks, they are delighted to now have Antonio Conte back at Hotspur Way.
Stellini was overseeing proceedings at the club over the last few weeks as Conte continued to recover from his gallbladder surgery back in Italy.
Until last week, Tottenham’s assistant first-team coach had a 100 per cent record in the matches he took charge of, but back-to-back losses against Sheffield United and Wolves have massively dented the club’s hopes of winning a trophy this season, as well as securing Champions League qualification.
Conte returned to London over the weekend after almost a three-week break and took charge of training on Monday, with the Spurs head coach expected to be on the sidelines for the clash against Milan (The Times).
When asked about having the 53-year-old back, Davies told The Express: “We’re really looking forward to getting him back.
“It’s been a while now, but we have a huge game Wednesday, and it is very important he is with us.
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“It’s obviously very strange, but we’ve been in very capable hands with Cristian Stellini. The manager wasn’t too far away.
“He’s been there as a point of contact. It will be good to have him back.”
The Welshman admitted that Tottenham are not where they wanted to be at this stage of this season, insisting that a top four finish is the minimum requirement for the club.
When asked if qualifying for the Champions League can be considered a success, he responded: “It’s a tough question.
“Our ambitions are obviously a bit more than that. We want to win trophies. We’ve let that slip this year.
“Champions League is a good achievement. That’s where the club wants to be year in, year out.
“That has to be our baseline. It’s one of those things. We have an opportunity to put things right very quickly. We hope to do that Wednesday.”
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Given the larger-than-life character that Conte is, there is no doubt that his return will make a difference to the squad’s morale.
Hopefully, it is enough to lift their mood after the disappointment of the last seven days and inspire a performance out of them against Milan.
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