Cristian Stellini will once again be the main man in the dugout for Tottenham's clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday. Spurs go into the game after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United on Wednesday night.
It was a golden opportunity for Spurs to reach the last eight and give themselves a chance to end their trophy drought. That aside though, they are in good form in the league having put together back-to-back wins over London rivals West Ham and Chelsea.
Now they travel to take on Wolves and Stellini, filling in for Antonio Conte, who recovers from gallbladder surgery in Italy, has been speaking to the media ahead of the match.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte already has his answer to latest Tottenham dilemma as player to miss AC Milan tie
Team news?
We don't have team news. Everyone is fine like in the last game. We are ready to play the next match with same squad.
Is Emerson Royal fine?
Yes.
How is Conte?
I said he would come back this week and straight after the match against Wolves he will be in London and will be in charge again from Sunday.
Have you spoken to him since Sheffield United?
His thoughts were like everyone. Everyone was disappointed and it is difficult to shake off this type of match, this type of result. Maybe the players now know a different face of me also and not only the face of Antonio because it was not a good result and we are all disappointed for that.
What was the players' reaction?
A great reaction. My expectation is that tomorrow we play a different game but the same game we played in the league last week and the week before and this month.
Why did you lack energy vs Sheffield United?
It is not about the team selection, it is about the approach, the mentality and the energy you put into the game. We had to be better in that time and we had to be better before the game, not after. If you feel hunger after the game, it is too late. You have to feel hunger before the game and not after. This is the point. I don't think this happened because we select this type of squad, but because we didn't approach well.
Thoughts on the Wolves boss?
Lopetegui is an important manager. They select a good manger and since Lopetegui is in charge of Wolverhampton, I think they are improving a lot. They are doing something different because the mentality of Lopetegui is a bit different if you compare to the last manager. We expect difficult game but with a good approach we think we can do a good game tomorrow and challenge them in the right way like we did in the last two (league) games.
Why is Antonio back on Sunday, not Saturday?
This is a question for the medical department because they decide the time schedule was one month. One month after the surgery stops on Saturday and they ask Antonio to come back on Sunday so this is a question for the medical department.
Will it be a success if you finish in the top four because the fans wanted a trophy?
Everyone wants this, only the fans can expect every year, only the fans need to be happy with the team and the way the team plays, but we have to show on the pitch, this is our job, this is the difference between us and the fans.
We have to react immediately because that game was not good enough and we don't want to be like this again and we don't want to show this to the fans again. We have to create a good mentality, when we speak sometimes, I sometimes feel we speak too much about a trophy and less about the mentality. We have to work on this aspect every day and fight against ourselves, because when you approach a game like this you have to fight against you if you think the game will be easy in the FA Cup if you play away. Eight teams play in the quarter-finals and four are not in the Premier League, so it's not only us.
Can this still be a successful season will you and Antonio see it as a success?
Yes, you have to believe in that, you have to believe in yourself, you can change this season in every moment like we did last season.
Can you talk a bit about Raul Jimenez, what a striker he is?
I know Jimenez, he's a player that before he had an injury was one of the top strikers in the world. After some injuries, he has to drop on to the bench and wait to perform well but in this moment he has gained a good place and a good moment and we have to take care.
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