How do you look after players returning from the World Cup? It’s all about balance...
Tue 20 December 2022, 18:35|
Tottenham Hotspur
After almost 20 years as a player and another 17 and counting as a manager, Antonio Conte is well versed on the emotional rollercoaster of football.
Those 37 years include 22 Italy caps, and two years in charge of the Azzuri. That means major tournaments, and Antonio will know exactly what the likes of Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane and Richarlison have gone through over the last few weeks.
Antonio was a member of the Italian squad when Roberto Baggio famously missed in the penalty shoot-out of the 1994 World Cup Final in the USA, Brazil running out 3-2 winners. He also scored an overhead kick in Italy’s opening game of Euro 2000 against Turkey, only to sustain an injury in the quarter-final against Romania, forcing him out of the tournament as Italy lost out to France on an extra time ‘golden goal’ in the final.
It’s important to speak with the players, to understand the way the World Cup has affected them and to try to overcome together, these experiences
With football’s showpiece in Qatar now over, Antonio will have a World Cup winner arriving back at Hotspur Way in Cristian Romero, but, at the same time, a runner-up in Hugo. Harry Kane missed a penalty in England’s 2-1 loss to France in the quarter-finals, Richarlison was heartbroken after Brazil lost to Croatia at the same stage, and he picked up a hamstring injury, and then you’ve the likes of Heung-Min Son, so emotional after Korea reached the knockout stage, and Rodrigo Bentancur and Ben Davies, who, like Richy, arrived home injured after a tough exit in the group stage.
How does a manager deal with that melting pot of emotions?
Speaking to SPURSPLAY ahead of our return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and an exhibition match against OGC Nice on Wednesday evening (7pm), Antonio told us: “You know very well after an important tournament like this, the World Cup, it’s normal that the players come back in a different mood, in a different way. Hugo lost the final and, instead, Cuti won the final. For Harry, he missed a penalty, but I think he played a really good World Cup.
“For sure, they have to try and put to one side this experience. Every experience is very important in your life, but, at the same time, you have to know now that we have to start to think again about Tottenham and try to do our best. We are talking about important players for us, these are players who can make a difference.”
How would Antonio go about the process? “For sure, in this type of situation, it’s important also to speak with the players, to understand very well their mood, the way that the World Cup has affected them in a positive or negative way and to try to overcome together, these experiences. The coach has to be good to find the right balance, in both cases - if you played a great World Cup or if you played a World Cup and something happened that went wrong.”
