‘This club has been slipping’ – Antonio Conte insists getting Tottenham back on track is biggest challenge of his career
ANTONIO CONTE says managing Tottenham is the biggest challenge of his career.
The Italian insists Spurs are having to start again as the team they have now is at a “medium level”.
Conte and his players are still reeling from last Thursday’s embarrassing Europa Conference League loss away to Slovenian minnows NS Mura.
The former Chelsea boss took over at Tottenham last month but he has warned he will not be able to turn the North Londoners around overnight.
Ahead of Spurs Premier League clash at home to Brentford tonight, he said: “This is a big challenge for me.
“This is a big challenge for the club. And 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 were very very competitive, a really really strong team.
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“And that to lose important players or someone became old and then to have a change of generation, Tottenham now are 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.
“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.
“It 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 hrs for this club because this a big challenge for me – maybe the best, big challenge, about the difficulty – about the position that we are starting.
“Is this my biggest challenge? Yes. But as I said in Mura, I’m not scared about this.”
ROMERO OUT INJURED
Tonight’s visit of the Bees is Tottenham’s first match since that Nura humiliation after their fixture at Burnley on Sunday was called off due to snow.
Conte confirmed Cristian Romero’s injury is serious and the star will not play for Tottenham again this year.
On-loan Atalanta defender Romero hurt his hamstring playing for Argentina against Brazil in the last international break.
And medical scans have proved Spurs boss Conte’s worst fears.
He said: “The news is not positive. It’s not good. The injury is serious and it will be a long time before we see him again. Surely next year.
“We will check on his injury week by week but it is serious. Now he is trying to recover but he needs time to recover. He’s an important player for us.”
Asked if “next year” meant next season, Conte said: “No, maybe January or February next year. But 2021 is finished for him in terms of playing.”
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