Dejan Kulusevski has revealed that he has never met someone with as much motivation and desire as Antonio Conte, and admitted that the switch to Spurs has been transformative for him both on and off the pitch.
Big things were expected of Kulusevski at Juventus, particularly after the winger took the Serie A by storm as a teenager during his loan spell at Parma during the 2019/20 season.
However, the Swede struggled to replicate the same form in Turn and was often overlooked by Massimiliano Allegri. Kulusevski has now opened up on his struggles at Juve and remarked that he is now far happier in London.
The Tottenham man told Gazzetta dello Sport about his time with the Old Lady: “I don’t know, sometimes in football things simply go well. I haven’t changed anything in these months.
“I always go and always went to the pitch with the full commitment. However, at Juventus, something didn’t work regardless of how much I worked.
“I like to look forward rather than backward. Surely, I wasn’t ok at Juventus for many reasons and when you realise things don’t work, it’s hard to change direction in the same environment.
“The decision to leave Italy was the best I could make in that situation. Everything is going better in England. On and off the pitch. Now I always want to play football and win for my team.”
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The 22-year-old admitted that he has transformed physically by working with Conte and his coaching staff since his move to Spurs in January.
When asked what has changed since his switch to Tottenham, responded: “A lot. My body has changed here, especially thanks to working in the gym.
“We work hard every day, more than I did in Italy. I love the way we work here in London. Surely it is the coach’s merit. I am so happy to play for him.”
Kulusevski also opened up about his admiration for Conte, admitting that the 53-year-old is different to any coach he has worked with in the past.
When asked if Conte’s methods are very different to Allegri’s, the winger said: “Honestly, yes, I don’t want to say that one is better than the other, I respect Allegri and Conte. They’ve both won so much in their careers, but their idea of football is different.
“At Tottenham, we work much more in the gym and the results are there. My world has changed. I have to say that I’ve never met a person who is as motivated as Conte in my life. When someone like him talks to you, enters your heart.”
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These words from Kulusevski about Conte are quite similar to what Andrea Pirlo said about the Spurs boss in the past: “When Conte speaks, his words assault you.” (talkSPORT).
The Italian’s passion and charisma certainly seem to rub off on the players, which is why they seem to completely buy into his philosophy of football.
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