‘Work 24 hours a day for this club’ – Conte makes promise to Spurs fans but asks for patience

Antonio Conte has admitted that competing for major honours with Tottenham is the biggest challenge of his managerial career and called for patience from the fans. Spurs have dropped off drastically over the last two and half years since reaching the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino. Conte is well aware of how strong the […]

The post ‘Work 24 hours a day for this club’ – Conte makes promise to Spurs fans but asks for patience appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.

Antonio Conte has admitted that competing for major honours with Tottenham is the biggest challenge of his managerial career and called for patience from the fans.

Spurs have dropped off drastically over the last two and half years since reaching the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino.

Conte is well aware of how strong the North Londoners were back then as they pushed his Chelsea side till the end for the Premier League title in the 2016/17 campaign.

The Italian admitted that it will take time to get Spurs back to the heights they reached a few years ago and called for the supporters to be patient.

Conte told Football.London: “This is a big challenge for me. This is a big challenge for the club. This is a big challenge for the players, for everybody.

“The club, in the last years, has been slipping. If I compare Tottenham to when I was in Chelsea, Tottenham was very, very competitive, was a really really strong team and I think that to lose important players or some became old and then to have a change of generation, I think Tottenham now is paying a bit for this.

“Now we have to create, to start again. To think that we have to create a solid base and then to build because if we don’t have a solid base, it’s impossible to build something important.

“I think that now is the right moment to create a solid base and then to start to build. To come back to fight for something important as [in] the past. I think this must be our target but this target has to involve all – the club, the players.

“I think also our fans. I understand that sometimes they lose their patience but I repeat I am here to put myself totally for Tottenham and to work 24 hours a day for this club because this a big challenge for me – maybe the best, biggest challenge, about the difficulty – about the position that we are starting.”

Despite being aware of the scale of the task that lies in front of him, the Spurs boss insisted that he is more than ready for the challenge.

He added: “My biggest challenge, yes, but as I said in Mura, I’m not scared about this. I have a lot of enthusiasm. When I arrive here, I enjoy the situation.

“I enjoy to work with the players. I enjoy to speak with the club, I enjoy to create a good base. Now the most important thing is this – to create a good base and then to build something important.

“We need a bit of time but I’m sure we can improve a lot and give satisfaction to our fans.”

Conte revealed that at Tottenham, he has found an environment and a group of players who are willing to put in the work necessary to improve.

However, the Italian admitted that fans’ expectations of immediately competing with the best sides in the division, may not be realistic.

He said: “The situation is not simple because in this moment you know that there at least four clubs stronger than you.

“This is the situation that is not simple. If you ask me if we can fight for the Premier League title, this situation is not simple. If you can fight for a place in the Champions League, it’s not simple. The situation is not simple for this reason.

“I’m used to fighting to win something, to be competitive. After four weeks I can tell you I have found a fantastic environment, people who like to work and they’re helping me but we need to create a base and a solid foundation.

“Only this way, in my experience, can you think to be something important, to be competitive, to fight for a place in the Champions League, and to fight for the title in the Premier League.

“Our fans have this type of expectation but at the same time I want to be honest and say that we are here and we want to do the best for Tottenham, and to give Tottenham 24 hours of our day, to improve the club, improve the football situation, improve the players, but I can tell that there is only one way. I don’t know another way.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I believe this is an admission from Conte that the squad is not currently good enough to compete against the top sides. It also sounds like a clear message to the Spurs fans to be patient and support the side, instead of getting on their backs, as some did in the 2-1 win over Leeds.

The post ‘Work 24 hours a day for this club’ – Conte makes promise to Spurs fans but asks for patience appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.