'Really strange' - Ex-Chelsea and Juventus boss Antonio Conte aims jibe at former club Tottenham for 'celebrating' finishing in fourth place

When Conte took over as head coach of Tottenham from Nuno Espirito Santo in November 2021, the team was languishing in ninth place in the league table. It was a bumpy ride for the Italian tactician yet he managed to guide them to a remarkable ascent to fourth place. However, despite securing Champions League qualification, Conte found it "really strange" to celebrate such an achievement, considering his high standards of success.

Speaking to The Telegraph,Conte said: "For me, to celebrate fourth place and a place in the Champions League was really strange. At the end of the final game against Norwich, I called my staff and said ‘pay attention, don’t be used to celebrating a Champions League place’. I was very clear. I said we did the maximum. From ninth to fourth place, with all the problems we faced, was a miracle. But we didn’t celebrate like it was a miracle because I am used to winning.”

Conte's departure from Tottenham came after a series of critical remarks about the team's mentality and performance which included a dig at chairman Daniel Levy. However, the manager acknowledged the support lent to him by the club and especially Levy after he made a premature decision to return to coaching following an emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder.

“It was an important period with the Champions League, the FA Cup and with the league,” said Conte. “I preferred to come back quickly, but then I understood it was really soon. It was Daniel Levy who pushed me to go home and recover again. After the AC Milan game, when we lost 1-0 in the San Siro, he told me to stay in Italy to recover well because he didn’t like the way I looked and Tottenham’s doctors didn’t want me to take the risk. The club supported me really well.”

Tottenham are undergoing a slow rebuild under Ange Postecoglou. The North London outfit have achieved some semblance of consistency under the guidance of the Australian and remain unbeaten in the Premier League in 2024. They are currently in fourth place in the Premier League standings and will look to continue their surge when they host Wolves on Saturday.