Hugo Lloris has insisted that Antonio Conte and his coaching staff were a perfect match for him and his teammates.
Hardly anyone would have expected Tottenham to finish in the top four when Conte arrived at the start of November, with the Lilywhites leaking goals and struggling to score under Nuno Espirito Santo.
However, the Italian has turned Spurs into a solid and aggressive outfit that scores goals for fun, as evidenced by their 5-0 win at Carrow Road on Sunday, which helped them seal Champions League qualification.
Speaking after the win over the Canaries, Lloris told Sky Sports: “I think step-by-step he [Conte] brought his football concept, his passion and his energy, but obviously high-level football is about details and he brought those type of details at the training ground.
“I think he faced players with the willingness to improve, with the willingness to become stronger and it matched perfectly, so now we have got rewarded.”
Conte admitted after the match that finishing fourth feels like winning a trophy and even revealed it was up there with the best achievements of his managerial career (Spurs TV).
Lloris echoed a similar sentiment, admitting that it is a great base for the club to build upon.
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The Tottenham captain said: “It feels like a big achievement [qualifying for the Champions League].
“When we look back a few months ago we struggled a lot with a lot of ups and downs, but I think we put everything in our side to finish strong this season and I think we get rewarded because behind this success there is a lot of work, with the commitment of the full squad and with the guidance of Antonio Conte.
“It’s a great feeling also for the fans to make them happy, it’s just a great satisfaction. It’s going to give positiveness and calmness for the club to prepare for the next season.”
However, Lloris admitted that Spurs still have a lot of room for improvement and that they will be eyeing much bigger objectives next season.
The Frenchman added: “We need to enjoy this achievement, but there’s still plenty of things to do.
“I think there is still a gap for improvement and obviously with the help of the players, the help of the club with the right decisions, the help of the crowd and the help of our manager and coaching staff we can become better and stronger and ready to compete next season.
“It’s a great satisfaction and next season we have to come stronger with more ambition and ready to compete for everything.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The one thing that Conte has repeatedly stressed in his interviews and press conferences is the fact that all of the players have shown 100 per cent commitment.
Despite having some world-class players, our squad does not have any prima donnas, which is quite rare in modern-day football.
That is one of the main reasons that I believe that Conte and his coaching staff will be tempted to remain at the club to try and build something special.
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