Clement Lenglet has admitted that he thoroughly enjoyed working with Antonio Conte at Tottenham, remarking that the Italian helped him become a better player.
Lenglet’s one season at Spurs did not go entirely to plan as although the Lilywhites started the season impressively, their form tailed off considerably after the halfway point.
In the end, Tottenham had little choice but to part ways with Conte before the end of the season, with the club stumbling to an eighth-place finish, which was their poorest showing in the league in 14 years.
Lenglet himself was in and out of the side, often playing second fiddle to Ben Davies, who remained Conte’s preferred option at left centre-back.
Although the Frenchman did put in a few decent performances, he did not do enough to convince Tottenham to buy him permanently last summer.
Clement Lenglet was a fan of Conte at Tottenham
The 28-year-old, who joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan deal last summer, has now spoken about his experience of working under Conte and the gruelling training sessions that the Italian put the team through.
The centre-back told Gianluca Di Marzio about the former Spurs boss: “Being coached by him was fantastic, I improved a lot. His way of coaching could be summed up with the word ‘passion’. Try to push each player every day to reach a higher level. Sometimes he’s a bit harsh but he’s a strong coach: that’s what I needed to improve.
“I suffered a lot in the training sessions he made us do during preparation. After that period, however, we felt like we were flying on the pitch: the benefits were crazy. I felt good, I felt at the top all season.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Most Tottenham stars seem to have only positive things to say about Conte and how he helped improve their tactical understanding and their fitness.
However, teams across the Premier League figured out the weaknesses in the 58-year-old’s system and he simply refused to adapt, which led to his eventual demise at Spurs.
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