Antonio Conte has admitted that Spurs fans had every right to be displeased with the team’s first-half performance against Leeds United yesterday.
There was a raucous atmosphere at kickoff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Conte’s first home Premier League game in charge.
However, Leeds managed to quickly quieten the home fans as they dominated proceedings and opened Spurs up on plenty of occasions.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men took the lead just before the interval and the half-time whistle was met with groans of discontent from the supporters.
However, Spurs imposed themselves on the game right from the start of the second half and fashioned several chances.
The away side could not cope with Tottenham’s high-press and Conte’s men managed to turn the result around and take all three points.
The Tottenham boss insisted that the fans were right to express their discontent at the team’s first-half showing.
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He also praised his players for the spirit and determination they showed after the interval.
Conte told Football.London: “After the first half, our fans weren’t satisfied by the football we played and I was agreeing with them. In the second half we changed totally.
“I’m pleased and pleased for the players. I changed the plan tactically but then they played well, they played with personality. They ran, they put pressure, created difficulties to Leeds in the second half. For this reason we won.
“I think to win in this way was was good. I bring with me and also my players two different situations. The first half and second half. I said to my players if we want we can. We have a lot of space for improvement.”
While Conte admitted that the team has plenty to work on, he insisted that he and the players want to play in a way that the fans are proud of.
He added: We know very well, this season we have to fight and fight a lot but we want to make our fans proud. After the first half, our supporters were disappointed but it was the same for me and my players.
“To have this reaction, this spirit and this character, this means you have heart and passion and now we have to put this in every moment to improve.
“The only word that is in this moment important for us is work, work, work. Work very hard, work together and fight together to make our fans proud.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The problem in the first half was not so much that we played on the counter-attack and let Leeds have the ball, but rather that we hardly looked threatening when we won the ball back. The fans’ reaction at half-time was understandable and Conte did the right thing by choosing to go man-to-man in the second half.
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