afsoc4life
Dean Richards
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "The performance was a good one. The problem was our start because we concede two goals. It is difficult to come back because we conceded but at the same time, starting 2-0 down, it was a good reaction from the players because they tried to the end to come back, to change the final result. We had many chances to score. At the end, though, we are talking about a defeat. This is what counts.
"Sometimes it is difficult. Three goals in the game against Southampton was a difficult situation. We have to try to accept and to learn also to live with the pressure. Sometimes we feel the pressure. It needs to be positive for us not negative. When I speak about aspects we need to improve and about part of a process, I speak also about this. If you want to try to be competitive and fight for something important, you have to be good on the pitch and many aspects around us - around the coach, around the players. They are working well but only commitment is not good enough if we want to try to fight for something important. At the moment, for me, it is not realistic. We have to accept the reality. The whole environment has to accept this. Otherwise we create expectation and it is not good when we cannot follow this expectation. We have to continue to work. We are working hard and it is not enough. Maybe we have to be calm and be realistic.
"I don't remember in the last few years, Tottenham fighting for something important. Not a situation for this season. Big games from a long period, maybe the season when this team reached the final of the Champions League. Then it happen and Pochettino was sacked and the team finished down. From there something has changed. Now to be good we need to have the passion together and to understand the situation has changed from the past. We have to fight in every game with the risk we can win, draw and lose."
Antonio Conte