‘Very intense’ – Gary Cahill reveals what Spurs players can expect from Conte

Former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has lavished praise on Antonio Conte, admitting that he represents a very good appointment for Tottenham Hotspur.

There is a lot of excitement among the Spurs faithful since Conte was confirmed as the club’s new head coach on Tuesday.

The club looked to be heading nowhere under Nuno Espirito Santo this season but just a few days later, there is optimism that the North Londoners can challenge for the Champions League places.

Conte arrives with a brilliant CV and has already proven himself in the Premier League previously, having led Chelsea to the title in his first season in English football.

Cahill, who was a vital part of Conte’s back three in the 2016/17 season when the Blues beat Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs to the title, has now spoken about how the Italian put his stamp on the squad and delivered instant success at Stamford Bridge.

The former England centre-back told Sky Sports: “The guy’s successful. I have got a huge amount of respect for him. He was great with me in the time that I had with him.

“You just have to look at his record – when he was in Italy and what he did there and when he came to Chelsea and what he did there. So I think it’s a very good appointment for them [Tottenham].

“He’s very intense, expects a lot in training, demands a lot from everybody. He’s very driven.

“When he turned it into the kind of formation and shape and how we wanted to do things, he really put his stamp on the squad.

“We went on to be very successful in that year and obviously, we won the title. The second year wasn’t as good in the league, but we won the FA Cup at the end of it.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Almost every player who has worked under Conte seems to have nothing but huge respect for the Italian. The word ‘intense’ is something a lot of people keep using to define him, which says a lot about what he demands from the players in training and in matches. That is arguably exactly what our squad needs at the moment.

Related Topics