Antonio previews Arsenal: “I know what this game means for this Club and our fans”
Wed 11 May 2022, 15:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte wants to do it for our fans when we face Arsenal in a huge north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening (7.45pm).
On a night of firsts - the first derby in front of a full house at the new stadium, Antonio’s first north London derby - we meet the Gunners at a crucial time of the campaign, four points behind Mikel Arteta’s men in fifth with three games to go in the Premier League.
Speaking to Spurs TV, this is what Antonio had to say on the latest edition of the NLD...
First thoughts...
Antonio: “It’s my first north London derby and I know very well what this game means for this Club for our fans. We have to know very well what it also means for the table for us at this moment. We are fighting for a place in the Champions League, we are in this race with Arsenal. We are doing a really good job to stay in this race. At the same time, I want to try to give satisfaction to our fans, they deserve this type of satisfaction in a tough game, a derby against Arsenal.”
This NLD...
Antonio: “It's a massive game. We are talking about a game with two important teams, Tottenham and Arsenal. It will be interesting to see the way we finish this game, for sure. Arsenal, they have the same idea, for sure, to try to get points and take a place in the Champions League, and they are doing very well. They have worked with this coach for many years, and they are going to improve year by year. At the same time, we’re on a good path with my team. We’ve improved a lot. To arrive at this point with three games to go, with the possibility to fight for a big achievement, we have to be proud, and try until the end to get the best possible result.”
Tactics...
Antonio: “I think it will be a tactical game. Arsenal are well organised, Arteta is doing a really good job and when you watch Arsenal, you know this team is well organised in the tactical aspect, really good players technically, good one-against-one, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah. We have to pay great attention, show great solidity, as always, and at the same time, when we have the ball, we have to try to hurt them.”
Derbies - the deciding factors...
Antonio: “The derby is always a difficult game. If you play Juventus-Torino, Milan-Inter, Roma-Lazio in Italy... in London, there are many derbies, and, for sure, the rivalry with Arsenal is very high. It’s a special derby. You have to try to give your best from the start until the end, to be focussed, great concentration, to enjoy the game as well, but you have to know that this derby is very important for us, and for the table.”
Our fans...
Antonio: “For me, our fans are very important in every game. We have to try to give them the satisfaction, to give 100 per cent and more in every game. For sure, in this type of game, with this fight for a place in the Champions League, these games become even more important, the result. At the same time, we have to enjoy this type of game, we have to enjoy that we’ve arrived at this time with the possibility to reach a big achievement. I repeat, we are working very hard to be prepared for this derby.”
