‘I’d have been having it at home’ – Michael Dawson weighs in on Conte ketchup ban

Michael Dawson has claimed that Antonio Conte needs to strike a balance with his Tottenham squad after banning ketchup as part of his dietary changes.

Conte has quickly started to implement changes around the club since his appointment, with the fitness of his Spurs players a key concern on his agenda. 

The former Inter Milan manager was said to allegedly be unimpressed with the physical condition of a handful of members in the squad upon his arrival in North London. 

As such, Conte has adopted the method of banning a host of food items, which he deployed during his tenure at Chelsea, a move that saw the Blues claim the Premier League title in 2017. 

Condiments such as ketchup and mayonnaise have been added to the list of banned items, as well as butter and soft drinks being a no-go in the Spurs canteen at the Hotspur Way training centre. 

Ex-Spurs defender Dawson has weighed in his thoughts on the changes happening at his former club, and feels the Spurs squad need to adapt to those alterations if Conte believes it will benefit them in the long run. 

Speaking to the Hometown Glory podcast, Dawson said: “I think it’s a fine margin. You’ve got to be careful because you want a happy camp. You’ve got to have that but times have moved on. 

“I always say you are a self-investing businessman, when you go into work you’ve got to put the right stuff in your body. 

“Anything that you believe helps you. And if it be ketchup, I would have ketchup. If he’s going to take it away I’m not going to have the strength, I’m not going to run as much as I can. That’s the way I am. 

“Taking that ketchup away if they need it…he’s the boss. He makes those decisions. 

“I’d have been having it at home. That’s the problem. You don’t see them 24/7. You’re not locked up, you can go home. Like I say if you want to go to McDonald’s every day, you can go to McDonald’s every day.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

This is a method that Conte has liked to adopt wherever he has managed, and the success has translated onto the pitch in that time.

It may seem a bit odd on the outside, but he clearly knows what he is doing and hopefully, we’ll begin to see the benefits of these dietary changes soon. 

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