Antonio Conte has admitted that Tottenham need to improve a lot more before being able to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Liverpool but he insisted that his players need to be ‘dreamers’ this season.
City and Liverpool have set incredibly high standards over recent years – so much so that even getting a tally of just over 90 points, as Conte did in his first season at Chelsea, no longer seems to be enough to be in with a shot of winning the title.
Tottenham have made a solid start to their first full season in charge under the Italian, having secured 11 points of an available 15.
Some pundits have even suggested that the Lilywhites can upset the apple cart by pushing Pep Guardiol’s and Jurgen Klopp’s sides all the way this season (talkSPORT).
Conte has now admitted that Spurs still have a long way to go but insisted that his players need to have the mentality of trying to win every game that they play.
When asked about his side’s title credentials, the Italian said in his press conference (via Hayters TV): “Our first target is to try to improve ourselves from last season. That is very important. You know very well you cannot build a big, big structure in only nine months – it’s impossible. In front of us are two top teams who have been working with the same coach for many years and have continued to invest much more money than us.
“You need to understand this situation to reduce the gap is difficult but we want to do that work to reduce that gap and in our heart, in our mind, in our soul, the desire has to be to compete in every game and get three points. Then you know very well that this period could be very important because when you go to play every three days, if you are a top club with an important squad you are ready for these situations.
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“Now we have to understand if we are on the right path to do the same. We have maybe six more games in 20 days and it is an important test for us. The standard we have been doing has been good for the last games.”
Conte remarked that the Tottenham players believe that they are capable of achieving something special this season.
When asked when we will know if Spurs are legitimate contenders, the 53-year-old responded: “My players understood my will and my desire to be competitive enough to win something in the league and in Europe. But you know very well we are not stupid and don’t understand the situation. But for sure, we have to be dreamers and to work a lot to create something around us and have a great season.
“We need to do this in our minds. Also, when we go to win, to ask ourselves for much more, much more, much more. This is the only way to push ourselves, create the right atmosphere and become a winner and get that into our mind.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Talks of a title challenge in August or September are way too premature. Our focus has to be on winning every single game and if we are still in touching distance of the top by late February, only then should Spurs fans allow themselves to dream of a potential title win. I would be over the moon with another top-four finish and a cup win this season.
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