Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CONTE GETTING 4TH IS A ‘MIRACLE
V Spurs boss had resigned him to battling for Europa League s
ANTONIO CONTE says Tottenham will have pulled off a “miracle” if they qualify for the Champions League.
Conte even insisted if Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had asked him to get into the top four when he took over, he would have replied: “Are you joking?”
Tottenham were ninth when Conte took charge last November, five points off the top four, and looked to have blown their chances again when Arsenal were four points ahead with just three games to go.
But his magic winning touch has instilled a new mentality in the squad, which should ensure they do not do a “Spursy” and suffer a final-day collapse at relegated Norwich.
When asked whether he knew what the term “Spursy” meant, boss Conte said: “I am trying to cut this. We have to show on Sunday the development in this aspect. I don’t forget in the past what happened, I remember Manchester City in the last game when they were losing against QPR… in England it is not easy. I remember when City lost the FA Cup against Wigan.
“I like to put on myself big, big targets, not minimal targets. I never said this before but I said we needed a miracle and I said we must fight for a place in the Europa League.
“But I said before the last nine games, we are ready to fight for a place in the Champions League. We are in this race and we now understand that something has changed in everybody.
“I remember very well when I spoke with the club, with Daniel
Levy (below). At that moment the situation wasn’t so good and the club asked me to help them try to find a solution to improve the team in many aspects.
“If you remember, we didn’t score a lot. Harry
Kane, at that period, had scored only one League goal and we conceded a lot of goals – many, many problems.
“If Daniel had said, ‘I want to go to the Champions League’, at that moment, to be realistic, I can tell him only one thing – are you joking?
“This is the truth because we are talking about a situation in this League that is very difficult, because there are four top teams. It is very difficult to break into.”
Tottenham also backed Conte in January by signing Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus, and that may also be crucial in persuading the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager to stay for the long term.
Conte added: “In January it’s not simple to listen 100 percent to your manager and for this reason I want to say thanks.
“The club believed in what I said, in the situation we have to try to improve, not many things but the right things, and I think we did this. But I know v that it’s not simple for t to make the coach ha very, very difficult.
“It was the right case a to repay the trust of the c trust of the players, the fans, makes me happy.
“But there is the last st very, very happy, yeah.
“I am happy and I w say thanks for the oppo to work with this gr players and with this m club, with these fans, w atmosphere.
“It was amazing and made me happy and important. If a situation me happy, it’s important