Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte. REUTERS/David Klein
LONDON— Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte declared last year’s top four finish in the Premier League a ‘miracle’ and said pre-season expectations of a potential title win were ludicrous.
Speaking after the 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday sent Tottenham down to fifth place, 13 points behind leaders Arsenal, the Italian strategist made a harsh reality.
“Last season we did a miracle,” Conte, who took charge in November 2021 and rejuvenated the team, told reporters.
“Because we only play one tournament, and we play with 12 or 13 players and they have no injuries in the last 15 games, we have played with our best players in every game because because, I repeat, we only play in the league.
“Don’t forget with three games left, Arsenal are four points ahead of us and 20 points behind Manchester City and we’ve done a miracle, but I know the situation.”
Tottenham were booed on Sunday as they barely managed to get a shot on Villa’s goal. For relief, they do not have the creativity of Dejan Kulusevski, who is injured, and Brazilian striker Richarlison, who is also absent.
Rodrigo Bentancur is also sidelined and Tottenham’s squad appear to lack the depth to sustain a challenge for a place in the top four and in the Champions League where they are in the last 16.
“I remember very well in the summer, when I first started, people talked about Tottenham as title contenders but in my experience reading this is a bit crazy,” he said.
“To be a championship contender, to be a team that is ready to fight for something, you need to have a solid foundation. That means having 14 or 15 strong, quality players and other young players to develop.”
Conte will look to strengthen his squad during the transfer window, but whether he can achieve that is another story.
“At the beginning of the season, I was very clear with the club. I said ‘ok, we can compete to win but let’s keep improving but in a way that we can’, because you also have to know that there are clubs that can. invest 200 or 300 million and other clubs have different policies. he say.
“Policy must be very clear to everyone, otherwise we have created a negative environment for the environment to create unrealistic expectations.
“This is only to create illusions and create dreams. If you are realistic, you know the situation and you face the moment in the right way.”
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