Tottenham-Milan, Conte in the press conference: the words

Antonio Conte has taken back Tottenham. Paler, still down in weight but fully recovered after the gallbladder operation which he once again admits he underestimated (“And I overestimated my body” he says with a smile), the 53-year-old coach presented himself in the press room of the sports center in the north London suburbs for the first time after the three weeks of convalescence at home. In time for the return match against Milan, a match that can make the difference in the season. “Yesterday in training I realized that I have a lot of energy and that I have to transfer it to the players for this match” he says in English, with questions from the Italian press strangely not allowed.

OPPONENT

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Milan, who won 1-0 at San Siro in Conte’s last match from the bench, are “the champions of Italy and very strong,” says Antonio, before explaining why the pressure that decisive matches like these bring it is an element that your Tottenham must learn to live with. “When the pressure rises, as in such important matches, it means you’re moving up the level,” he explained. gone, but we can beat Milan and move forward. We will also need the help of the fans: very often they have given us the push we need to overcome difficult moments and it is important that they help us create the right atmosphere. Of course, I would like to win the Champions League, but we have to think one game at a time. And the next one is against Milan, who we have to beat with a two-goal difference. Normally there is pressure, normal there is stress, but we have to learn to live with it.”

CONVALESCENCE

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Conte returned to London on Sunday, completing a convalescence lived in Turin under strict medical supervision. “If it had been up to me, I would have come back sooner, immediately after the match against Sheffield – he says -. But the doctors stopped me, they told me I had to listen to them and wait another two days, returning to prepare for this match against Milan. I understood that I had to listen to them, even those at Tottenham who were extremely worried about me after the first leg.I’m fine now anyway: all this made me realize how important it is for me to work with the players, being with them and with the staff, preparing the match, especially a difficult one like the one against the Italian champions”.

WIN

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How much Conte is Tottenham’s true champion and his return is important is also underlined by Son, sitting next to him. “We’re happy he’s back, he brings positive energy to the team- said the South Korean-. His staff did a great job, but everything is different without him. Having him back on the bench will give us an incredible boost.” It’s what it takes to beat Milan against a team that is certainly not healthy, back from two bad defeats and two bad steps backwards after a very positive period. And beating Milan means saving the season, and probably also the future with Conte. “For me this will be a successful season if we fight to win,” Antonio explained. we have to be prepared to raise our level. My goal is to be competitive and fight to win every season: if it doesn’t happen, if you don’t win and you don’t have the chance to do it, it can’t be a positive season.”