Conte: I bluffed to get changes at Spurs

ANTONIO CONTE has claimed his threat to quit Tottenham after defeat at Burnley in February was a premeditated stunt to try to prompt change at the club.

Spurs are a point behind Arsenal in the race for the fourth Champions League spot after beating their neighbours on Thursday.

And a win over relegation-threatened Burnley at home tomorrow would take Conte’s team ahead of Arsenal as the Gunners don’t play until Monday at Newcastle.

Yet this weekend’s fixture has prompted memories of perhaps the lowest point of the Italian’s short time at the club.

Defeat at Burnley on February 23 came days after Tottenham had won at Manchester City and typified the inconsistency that blighted Conte’s team at that time. He had been at odds with the club over transfer spending and said he would consider his future if things didn’t change.

Reminded of this yesterday, Conte (right) said: ‘I think honestly there are moments that if you want to change the situation you have to go strong.

‘I took a risk because a lot of people didn’t understand. I read that it only took two months for Tottenham to make Conte crazy! I remember very well that I was the crazy one. But sometimes coaches have a strategy and the strategy is the stick or the carrot. At the time the environment needed the stick. ‘I thought it was right to go strong to try to change the situation and no one could think then that, with two games to go, Tottenham could fight for the Champions League.’ Conte’s future remains uncertain and failure to qualify for the Champions League may yet have an impact on the 52-year-old’s thinking. He has one year left on his contract and the club are already considering possible replacements in case a Plan B has to be activated.

But it appears the former Inter and Chelsea boss is beginning to see change at Spurs in both the dressing room and boardroom.

‘The most important thing is that we had time to know each other, to work together,’ he said.

‘Don’t forget that I arrived at Tottenham in November and usually when you arrive during the season you have to work. You have to play games and there is no time.

‘But I think a lot of things have changed since Burnley. We worked a lot together, we had time, we also had the possibility to know each other much better.’