New boss Conte tells his Tottenham stars: It’s my way or the highway
ANTONIO CONTE has told his Tottenham players they must give 100 percent in every waking moment if they want to feature in his team.
The no-nonsense new Spurs supremo has no time for those who aren’t willing to work their socks off for him.
And he has already made clear that he will demand they give their all from the moment they open their eyes each morning to the moment they close them at night.
He said: “Every single player must think, ‘I wake up at the start of the day to improve myself’, and for sure the player has to do this from the start of the morning until the end when he goes to sleep.
Talent
“You have to think, ‘I am a professional player and I must find the way to improve myself’, especially if you have a talent, for you to work.
“And for sure it’s a pity when you see a good player that is not exploiting 100 percent their possibility, their capacity.
“The work of the coach is only this — to try to push every single player to ask of themselves their best 100 percent.”
One of those players who will do well to heed the Italian’s advice is Dele Alli (right), although he isn’t alone. Most of the team have been below their best this season but for Alli the malaise has now been a couple of seasons.
Conte has played alongside and coached some of the very best midfielders the game has seen — from Zinedine Zidane to Andrea Pirlo.
Clever
As a midfielder himself as well, he was certainly no slouch and Alli, if he’s clever, will be tapping into every last drop of knowledge his new boss can impart.
Conte added: “I remember very well when Chelsea played against Tottenham in the past, especially one game when we lost after 13 wins in a row against Tottenham. Dele scored twice.
“But this is the past. Now there is a present. For sure, Dele is a player who has great potential —
physically he’s strong, and he’s very good. For sure I will give him the possibility to show his talent.
“At the same time, when I pick the starting XI, it’s because this starting XI can bring the team to win, and also when I make changes during the game.
“I am open for every single player in Tottenham. The most important thing is that they show me they deserve to have the chance to play.
“The door is open for every single player. My first thought is to try to give them the best situation to show their talent and then they have to show me.
“I must be sure to give them the
chance and they must repay me when I give them a chance. Now we are starting from zero.
There is a new coach and I tell the players, every player, ‘Show me you deserve to play from the start and I’ll give you the chance’.
Much has been made of the progress Romelu Lukaku made under Conte at Inter Milan but it isn’t just the biggest stars who flourish under him.
Matteo Darmian was reborn there after struggling at Manchester United, while Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso became Premier League champions under his guidance. Conte said: “Maybe my
best element as a coach is to improve players.
“It is important, as I have said before, that players make themselves totally available because they must want to improve, otherwise it is very difficult for me and my staff to do it.
“In Tottenham, we have a lot of space for improvement for the team.
“My job will be to improve every single player .
“If I do it, it means that the team will go up to another level to the one they are at now.”