The pain and emotion on Antonio Conte's face was clear for all to see when the TV camera panned to him a couple of minutes before kick-off at the Amex on Saturday evening. A truly devastating week for all at the club following the passing of fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone. Tottenham paid tribute in the best possible way to a man they cared about so much by collecting all three points at Brighton.
The Italian may have pushed the squad to their very limit on a daily basis at Hotspur Way, but he was adored by each and every one of them, as well as anyone else who knew him. The tributes from the team on Thursday were extremely touching, with each highlighting the huge impact he had made on them in the space of 11 months.
Wiping away the tears following the end of the minute's applause in Ventrone's honour, Conte can be incredibly proud of the shift his team put in on the south coast. A ground they struggled at numerous times following Brighton's promotion to the Premier League back in 2017, the Seagulls went into the game one place and three points behind them in the league standings.
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Given everything that had happened at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week, Spurs could easily have left the Amex empty-handed. Nobody would have pointed the finger at them if that was the case, given the circumstances, as some things are just so much more important than football.
Instead, they delivered a performance full of heart, grit and character to win courtesy of Harry Kane's header. Dominating early on and looking better for having that extra man in midfield, Brighton soon took control of proceedings, and Tottenham fell into a familiar pattern where they had to defend and then look to punish their opponents on the counter.
It wasn't a day to question the performance or what a player did or didn't do, however. Given the events of the past few days and the emotional toll it had taken on everyone at the club, it was perhaps Tottenham's best display of the season by some way and one Gian Piero certainly would have been proud of.
Just how much the renowned coach meant to everyone could be seen in the tributes after the game, with the Tottenham shirt in honour of the Italian filled with some moving messages from the squad as they each signed it and left a personal message. Kane was close to tears in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, with Conte taking part in such an emotional press conference as he opened up on his great friend.
"I have to be honest, it was really, really difficult for us to be focused on the game because what happened in the last three days was incredible, was incredible," explained the head coach. "I knew that the situation was really problematic after the game against Frankfurt. But no one would expect this situation because no one knew something about his illness.
"It was an illness but under control. And then… its very difficult because this situation hit me a lot on the emotional aspect. When this happens, it is very different to cover your feelings with the players, with the people that work in Tottenham.
"At the same time, I have seen a lot of solidarity. The players were really devastated by the pain. And the whole Tottenham environment, the feeling was really, really bad because, in only ten months, I think Gian Piero went through the heart of everybody. They appreciated it because we are talking about a really big worker, for me, my opinion in his job he is a scientist.
"I spoke with him last week on Thursday, the last time when I arrived at the training ground, he wanted to speak with me. And to ask to stay at home because he had a bit of a fever. And it was incredible because he was really, really worried about missing training. And I said: Gian Piero, we are talking about your health. And that moment, he told me about his illness. And I said: this is your health, you have to try to have the right checks, and don't worry.
"His first problem was about missing training! For this reason, I think he was in the heart of every single player. My players were really devastated by the pain. But in life, sometimes, many situations happen, not only to us but to many people. Life sometimes is not good.
"At the same time, you have to try to cope with this situation in the best possible way, and it has to be so for his family, for his wife Cinzia, his son Ivan and daughter Martina, and then I'm sure that Gian Piero will stay with us forever, forever, I'm sure about this."
Making it clear that he is "proud to be a coach of this team" and that his players are "really good people, top men" for showing character in abundance and winning at Brighton, all connected with Tottenham should be immensely proud of the team's reaction. They quite simply did it for Gian Piero.
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