What's the latest team news?
About Sessegnon, today he didn't train with us. He has a little problem and is not available for tomorrow's game. About Richy and Deki, they had a training session and I have one day to make the best decision (on whether to) to pick them in the starting XI.
Will you speak to Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici about the January transfer window this month?
Honestly until now we didn't speak but for sure after the first part of the season it's right to have a meeting with the club and then to discuss about the positives things, the negatives things and how we can improve. Then we'll see what we can do. It depends always on the possibilities of the club and also the ambition, but for sure we'll speak.
We'll speak also to have a good evaluation about this first part of the season where I've seen a lot of positive things, but you know injuries and to play every three days, I think we struggled a lot. In future we have to try to improve, to be better to face this type of situation. This would be a good way in my opinion. Then we know very well we have to discuss with the club to make the right decision.
READ MORE: What Antonio Conte said about Ryan Sessegnon, Djed Spence and his post-match Tottenham decision
Will you talk about your contract at the end of season or maybe now?
You know very well that my contract expires on June 30. I think until that moment the club has to make the best evaluation. I think everything you need to deserve. For this reason it'll be important to see the rest of the season what happen and if we're happy with the improvement we're doing, but every situation, it's important to deserve.
In my opinion on my side, it's important for me professionally I have to feel I deserve to have a new contract and to sign a new contract with this club. I have to feel this. But for sure we'll talk with the club and we'll find the best solution.
You beat Leeds in your first Premier League win at Spurs, what are you expecting tomorrow?
I remember very well my first win, it was a really tough game against Leeds. The time I remember very well but the characteristics are always the same. We're talking about a team with great energy, they play football with great intensity, they put a lot of pressure, they have a lot of energy and in this moment I think it is a really tough opponent because we're at the last game of this marathon. We played 13 games but every game was really, really tough and we lost a lot of energy. Physical energy and mental energy.
For this reason tomorrow we have to pay great attention. We prepared very well to understand that we have to pay more attention to be more good defensively because in the last seven games we conceded in every game a goal. This is unusual for us and it means maybe we need to be more focused, to be more compact and to show more compactness in the game. At the same time to try get three points but for sure the game won't be easy.
This is the last game, they played less than us and also in the last game I saw their whole team was rested but we want to finish in the best possibly way. To finish with a win would be very important for us because with qualification for the Champions League, if you continue to stay in the top four in this first part of the season it means you did a good job.
How do you explain and fix not scoring in the first half for eight games in a row?
Many, many players, the strikers, we lost all the strikers. Then also when you lose your strikers, also you have to change something in your system. We risk against Nottingham Forest to play without striker because Harry gave me his availability only on the morning of the game. For sure you have to try to change something. When I have all the players available, for sure I like to play with three strikers and Perisic, he is not a striker but an offensive winger so we tried to play with offensive players. When it happens this type of situation, you have to struggle to find other situations to manage, to manage in the best possible way this period.
How do you manage Harry Kane's fatigue?
It's normal that the players that played many, many games, that played every game, are a bit tired, but I don't think they're physically tired. I think more mentally you can be a bit tired, because to play every three days, to prepare every game is difficult for me and the staff too know? To prepare every game, every three days, in a so short period, it's normal that some players are tired but at the same time we have to finish in the best possible way. In the last game Harry was rested for the last half an hour against Nottingham Forest. It was the same for Perisic.
I tried to alternate and split the fatigue with Pierre and Rodrigo. And Ben Davies was on the bench. I tried to find a good balance because the effort was a really, really big effort. But tomorrow we have an important game and three points for us are vital, especially because I repeat if we able to finish the first part of the season with important qualification for Champions League and then to finish in the top four, despite a lot of problems that we had in these 43 days, I think it could be really good. It means that the job we did is a good job.
Are you looking to sign a new deal and stay here for the foreseeable future?
When you start a path, with a club, your dream is to stay here many years, to try to build something important. I think it's very important the relationship that you create with your players, the relationship you create with the club, the environment around you, and don't forget also the ambition.
Because if you're used to playing in your career and fighting to win also it will be very important to match all this situation and then to, if you are lucky, to find all of these situations for a coach it's simpler to stay for a project long-term.
But you know modern football, to find everything like this is not simple and many times there are problems, problems that bring the coach after two or three years to go away or to be sacked! Don't forget that there are two ways [to depart] - you decide to go away or you could be sacked. In England, before we're used that when you decide on a manager to take charge to give them a lot of time. Now England I'm seeing it is becoming like Italy. When the result is not good, you're ready to change quickly.
You've been at Spurs for a year and you know the club inside out now, are you confident that Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy will listen to what you want to improve the club and act with the same ambition?
For sure, every time we speak together they're always good conversations, because there is only one target: to try to improve, to improve the club in every aspect. On and outside the pitch. Then to find the best solution in every moment.
I think until now we worked only with this target: to improve. To improve and to find a good way to bring this club to be competitive, you understand, but I'm understanding very well this year that it's not easy.
It's not easy because you can improve but at the same time you have other teams continuing to improve and go forward. Like us or much more than us, because maybe they have more situations or more possibility [to improve], sometimes.
For this reason it will be very important to speak, it will be very important to have a good conversation and understand if we're satisfied with the work we're doing after one year in this first period of this season.
And then to understand very well what is the realistic possibility for us, which are the realistic ambitions for the club, because I think the truth is very important. It's very important and we need, the club and me, to know the truth, because if you know the truth, you can work to find the best solution for the future.
We know how important Gian Piero Ventrone was as a person to you and the players, but how have you coped with losing one of the world's best fitness coaches on the training pitches and are you planning on bringing in anyone to help with that?
About Gian Piero, before to answer this question, I want to open and say that for us, in these 43 days, not only 13 games but only difficult emotional moment. To lose Gian Piero as a person was terrible not only for me but I have seen also for many players. Many players had a great relationship with him, I think that someone had a big loss in his heart. Life is this. You have to face it, go forward and move on about Gian Piero.
About the situation, about the work, we continue to work in the same way. Don't forget, I called him when I was appointed at Tottenham because in the past he was in China with Cannavaro and Fabio Capello. And only in the last year here we started to work again.
The work is always the same. For sure, there is a lack of human aspect, then there is a lack of his experience, a lack of his relationship with the players. You know it was a big loss for us, but this is life and we have to move on. But Gian Piero for sure, in these 43 days, I think that emotionally it was really tough for us this period.
What are your plans for those players not going to the World Cup?
Honestly, we told the players not involved in the World Cup that they could stay at home. Instead, at the last moment many national teams decided to play two friendly games.
For this reason, now after the game against Leeds, the players that go to the World Cup they go with the national team. The others will continue to have training sessions and then to go with the national teams to have friendly games. Then they'll have days off to recover.
Before our idea was to try to find a solution to go away from London and to go to stay in a place with sun, but in the end it was difficult to find this type of solution for the club and for this reason we continue to stay here, having training sessions and use our training ground.
Did you say your dream is to stay at Spurs for a long time if the club and you can share the same ambition?
I said that for every manager, when you start a path with a new club your dream and your hope is to stay for a long time, to have the possibility to work and to continue to improve with your team, with the club and with your players.
You know very well that in the modern football it's not easy to have a long period for a manager because many times it's the club that makes the decision to sack you after bad results and you know that our job, we are in constant danger every day about this aspect.
Then sometimes you are lucky to have good results and to find the club with the same ambitions as you, the same desire, the same will to improve together and to grow. When this happens you're a lucky person, a lucky man. Every manager dreams of this situation. Then the reality unfortunately is not always this.
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