Antonio Conte admits he expected to walk into a ‘much better’ situation at Tottenham Hotspur

According to the Evening Standard, speaking ahead of Saturday’s game against Leeds United, which his side won 4-0, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte said that he expected a different team and situation when he took charge of the club.

Spurs were brilliant against a poor Leeds side, storming into a 3-0 lead by half-time. The result was the perfect response after the Lilywhites lost 1-0 to Burnley just days before, away at Turf Moor.

Conte, who took over the club late last year, said that he expected a situation where he thought he could take the side to glory immediately, but instead found a team that needed to become better at fighting and winning.

“Maybe in my heart, mind and head I thought to find a situation, not better, but [a club] more ready to fight and to win.”

The result against Leeds leaves Spurs in seventh place in the Premier League table, and they have a fight on their hands if they are to sneak into the top four by the end of the season. Luckily for Conte, his side have a couple of games in hand to make up the deficit.

“We have to work”

Tottenham have been underperforming over the past few years, despite having capable players in their squad. The team has not been able to put together a consistent, winning run, and this is a case even under Conte.

The Italian admitted he underestimated just how much he had to manage while in charge of the club, saying that the task exceeded his expectation of the job. For now, the former Chelsea manager will focus on helping his side climb up the Premier League table.

“And instead now I found a situation where we have to work. To work a lot, much more than was my expectation to do.”

Conte came to Spurs after winning the Serie A title with Inter Milan, and naturally, the expectation was that he would turn the north London club into title contenders as well. However, this has been far from easy for the ex-Juventus player.

The win against Leeds was only their second win in six league games, previously losing three games on the trot as Spurs looked short of confidence and ideas despite having Conte at the helm.

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The Spurs boss had a meltdown after midweek’s loss against Burnley, with him questioning his own ability. There were rumours that the Italian would quit, but Conte stuck on and led his side out against Leeds last night.

Conte seems to have adjusted his expectations and goals until the end of the season after the Burnley loss, with the manager now intent on working hard to overcome Tottenham’s problems. Only time will tell if he is able to succeed in his task ahead of the new campaign.