Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte reacts to securing Champions League qualification

Speaking after his side’s 5-0 win against Norwich City on the final game day of the season (h/t football.london), Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte reacted to the victory and spoke about his happiness on qualifying for the Champions League.

Tottenham were ruthless in attack, putting five goals past a helpless Norwich side that had already sealed its fate a few weeks earlier by getting relegated from the Premier League. Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-Min both scored a brace, while Harry Kane added one more goal to his tally for the season.

Conte reflected on the current campaign, saying that he took on a difficult job at Spurs when he took over. The Italian admitted that his team was going through a tough period in the past, but they rallied around and made sure they achieved their goals.

“Yeah for sure if we come back to the past, yes it was very very difficult to explain this about Tottenham. But we are enjoying a lot what we did and for me I didn’t lift a trophy this season like in the past but if I have to be honest and see the path and the difficulty to come in since November in a difficult situation with a team that was struggling a lot in a difficult league like the Premier League.”

The win over the Canaries ensured that Spurs ended the season on a high, finishing in the fourth position and above arch-rivals Arsenal. The Gunners sit two points behind them in the fifth spot, earning Europa League qualification for the next season.

“We must be pleased for what we did”

Apart from securing European football next term, Tottenham also saw the Premier League Golden Boot make its way to north London. Son’s brace against Norwich ensured that he ended the campaign as the top scorer, sharing the prize with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

Conte said that given all that happened in the past, qualifying for the UCL after three years was a really big achievement for the club. He said it was important for Spurs to play in a tournament with the best players and best coaches.

“It’s very very difficult – to reach a place in Champions League I have to consider this a really big big achievement for me and for my players, and also for the club consider this a big achievement after three years Tottenham is able to play again in Champions League. For us it’s very important because the best players, the best coaches want to play in this competition, for this trophy. We must be pleased for what we did.”

In a season full of ups and downs, the Lilywhites finally managed to achieve their objective of returning back to the Champions League. Conte must be given special praise for this, given the condition of the club when he took over.

The ex-Chelsea boss has come in and transformed the team, trying to instil a winning mentality in the players and getting them to play for the badge. He has been a serial winner wherever he has coached, and if he stays beyond the summer, he could look to aim for silverware.

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For now, he will be content with getting a top-four finish with this Spurs side. Although he is known to pick up titles with his sides, a Champions League spot could be the beginning of a successful period at N17 for Conte.