Sat 25 December 2021, 12:30
Tottenham HotspurAntonio Conte said he’s ‘had more answers’ from the squad - and that’s left him feeling positive as he prepares for a Premier League double-header in the space of 48 hours in Christmas week.
First up, it’s Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Boxing Day (3pm) followed quickly by a trip to St Mary’s and Southampton on Tuesday (3pm).
The performances of the likes of Dele, Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Matt Doherty and Steven Bergwijn in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend and victory over West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night has left Antonio confident about the festive challenge ahead.
Asked how he’ll manage the two games in quick succession, Antonio told us: “It's not easy, but, at this moment, I’ve had more answers from the squad, I can manage the situation better than before.
“As you know well, in football, you have to live in the present, not in the past. For sure, we’ll try to manage the situation in the best possible way. The last week we faced COVID, and we have many players recovering from this virus, and we have to try to manage them in the right way.
We want to improve every player in many aspects, tactical, physical, technical and, for this reason, we have to be happy, because we’ve had good answers
“It’s important for me to have a good answer from all my players. We have to play many games, and for this reason, the staff and I are working hard with all the players in the squad.
“They know that we want to improve every single player in many aspects, tactical, physical, technical and, for this reason, we have to be happy, because we’ve had good answers. But, as we all know well, football is the present, not the past, and our expectation is to always have good answers, not only once.”
Antonio Conte will lock horns again with Patrick Vieira - the pair faced each other as players – and Palace have impressed under his guidance this season, losing just five of their 17 games so far in the Premier League. However, they’ve drawn eight, and come into this derby with one win in their last five.
“Patrick is doing very well,” added Antonio. “We played against each other when he was at Arsenal, and I was at Juventus. He was an amazing midfielder and he’s doing very well.
“I think if you are a midfielder in your career, you have more possibilities to become a manager, because during the game you pay attention to both phases, offensively and defensively. He’s doing very well. Crystal Palace have their own identity. I’m happy for him.”
