What is the latest team news?
In this moment, we have only one player that I'm sure will miss against Southampton which is Oliver Skipp. Bissouma we have another day to check very well his physical condition. Nothing serious but I don't want to take any risks for the next games, but tomorrow we have another training session to make an evaluation about the team. The other players are all available.
Happy with the transfer window?
For sure, we're trying to do things with common sense. I think I know only this way to try to improve the club and try to give us the right direction. It's not simple because I have to try not to make mistakes, no? Especially in the transfer window with the club. But I think we're doing good things with common sense to try to improve the quality, to try to improve the squad, because this season we're going to face four competitions, especially with the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Yeah, I think we're going in the right direction but you know very well but you need to have a bit of patience, time because if you want to build something important, and fight for important achievements you have to work, work, work, and to improve in every moment and every situation, the club.
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Can Ndombele, Lo Celso, Reguilon and Winks get back into your squad?
As you said in your question, there's the World Cup. And for this season, many players want to play regularly, and then for this reason I think that sometimes it's better for the player and club to find the right solution for both. Because to keep players unhappy is not good and I cannot ensure they'll play regularly here in Tottenham.
We're talking about a good player but maybe they deserve to play regularly so we want to find a solution for the club and the player to keep both sides happy.
Have you seen the tactical progression in your squad within the past seven months?
Surely, to have seven months of work on your back is really important. It means I can work also to improve, to improve our tactical aspect, to improve also our physical condition, to improve all the team, because the team has seven months of work on its back.
We're trying to develop much more situations with the ball, without the ball. High pressure, medium pressure, low pressure. Under this aspect, I'm satisfied. We had more time to work together and try to develop our football knowledge.
What are you expecting against Southampton?
My expectation is to have a different result to last season. This is my first expectation. I hope so because last season we drew away and lost at home to Southampton. We're talking about a really good team and a really good manager.
We have to pay great attention but we have to start is the best way, get three points. We're going to play in our stadium, this is the first game, we'll see again our fans. It will be exciting for the players, for me to play again and go into the new season.
What does success look like this season for you, win a domestic cup?
Why not not win the Champions League and Premier League? I think my target and the club's target is to try to continue to improve, to develop the process that we started seven months ago.
It doesn't mean that if you lift a trophy or win the Premier League or the Champions League, or you get a place in the Champions League you achieved your target. It means we have to try to develop in every aspect, because my experience tells me we're going in the right direction but at the same time I know the club needed another step before being competitive to the top team in the League and Europe.
We have to not be presumptuous or arrogant and know only one word: work, work, work to try to improve on the pitch and outside the pitch to become a top club.
We're on the right direction, we're improving and our target has to be to develop the situation and to increase our value on and off the pitch.
You seem a happier man than six months ago?
I have to be honest, from the first when I arrived in Tottenham, I was really happy because I always said I found a model club with a great stadium and fantastic training ground. Everything a coach aspired to find when I signed a contract.
At the same time I say I want to try to build something important with this club because I like to win and I say it would be very important to match these two situations and to develop the club, to bring the club to become a club that wants to fight for something important in every season.
Then you know very well every season there is one who wins the Premier League, one who wins the Champions League, one who wins FA Cup, one who wins the Carabao Cup and in England it is very difficult to win because there are monsters but at the same time our target is to give Tottenham the stability to stay there and then to fight, to fight to be competitive and fight to lift a trophy. To become a stable club in a good position but I know also other clubs want to do the same and for this season it will be very difficult.
What do you need to compete with those two clubs?
But I think you forgot Chelsea. This is a big, big mistake. You are talking about a team who two seasons ago won the Champions League. It is a really big squad, last season they won the World Cup for clubs. Why is Chelsea not in this group of top teams? For me Chelsea are in this group and they want to stay there and they deserve to be considered in this position.
Then there are United and don't forget, football is not one add one and get two because United last season finished sixth despite in the transfer market it Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Varane. Two seasons ago they finished second, they did this transfer market to try to win the league and they finished sixth.
You have to pay attention in my opinion to all of these situations because we know that in England it is difficult to fight to win but we want to try to be competitive, to try to improve on last season and this is our target. If you ask me about City or Liverpool, my answer is we are talking about two of the best clubs in the world that are working with the same coaches for seven years.
Now they are in my opinion In a position that is very difficult for the others to close the gap but we have to do this. Also because (to catch) a City and Liverpool, you have to spend £100million for six players, they go and spend that for one player or two players £100million and this is the difference.
You have to run behind and they stay in front of you but you know very well they deserve to stay there because they work very well to have the same coach and to back the coach, Klopp, Guardiola and Tuchel and they deserve this. To become a strong team you need to have stability and a vision. The idea has to be very clear and then you will see you go step by step and try to reduce this gap.
Have you closed the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool with signings like Perisic and Bissouma?
Our target in this moment is not to close the gap, it's to try to be better compared than last season. We know that last season we reached the fourth place and in my opinion it was a big, big achievement, especially as we finished the season with only 13 players.
The first target, our target, the club target was to try to improve the squad in quality and numerically, because also with the numerical aspect of the squad it was not enough.
It was our first target. Then you know very well that you can't reach the best, the optimum in only one year or only after seven months. You know that you need a bit of patience but at the same time it's important to have ambition to try to be competition, to try to fight for the best. The ambition has to be the best.
Then the reality can be different but our ambition, because this type of ambition can push me, push my players, the club, without to be presumptuous or arrogant I repeat, but this ambition has to push us to give 120% in every day of our life in our work.
You said City and Liverpool have a big advantage because they have coaches who have been in place for a long time, is that the only way a club like Spurs can compete as well?
Yeah, I think so. I think so because if you are with the same manager for many years and you give continuity, and you continue an idea and you continue a vision, then for sure it's the best situation for the club to improve and yeah, to grow season by season.
Because then the vision is one, it's not a different vision with another manager. For sure, to have a coach for many years, you reduce the time because you give continuity in the work together - the manager, the club and the players.
I think that this is important. For me, after seven months, it's easier now to work with the players because the players know what I want and now we can work on other aspects to implement their football knowledge and we grow, in the tactical aspect, the physical aspect and the mentality aspect. Because you know each other and I think is very important.
You as a manager have tended to not stay at clubs for that length of time, could you reconsider that with Spurs?
I think first of all, I need to stay well in the club. I like always the honesty. If you tell me one thing then you have to respect this. Otherwise I don't like people who say one thing to me at the start and during the season or after one year or two years they change the situation.
I don't like this. I like honest person and also if they have to tell me the bad truth, it has to be the truth, not a good lie. Because if you tell me a good lie, you don't have a lot of life with me, because I hate lies and I hate liars.
Is Ivan Perisic fit enough to start?
It's normal after a serious injury to be struggling a bit to come back in the best physical condition. Honestly I'm surprised because he reduced his time to recover. We are really happy.
At the same time we are not worried but we have to pay a bit of attention to give him the right time to adapt himself to recover 100% after his injury.
But I know him very well and he is a very good addition for us, it will be really important for his experience for the younger players. Sessegnon is a player who plays in the same role. Ivan can teach him a lot of situations to improve Sess, but even for sure he is a really good addition for us for many aspects. Then we will see. We have another training session tomorrow - play him or Sess (laughter).
On the right you have three right wing backs. How will you keep them all happy or do you see one having to leave?
Also for the right side (laughs) we have a similar situation like Ivan to Matthew. Matthew had a serious injury and I think worse than Ivan. Now he is working a lot. He has had a bit of time to come back to be fit like last season. I hope to bring him in the same situation as last season as I think Matthew, he played really well. At the moment we need to have a bit of patience. He needs to have a bit of patience but is working very well to be fit quickly.
Then we have Spence. Spence, I said to you that he was an important investment for the club for the future, he is a really good prospect and young player. For sure it is important for him to understand very well with us to adapt himself to the demands of Tottenham. With him we have to work and have patience. The same for the player. Then there is Emerson. Emerson is fit. Yeah. This is about the wing backs, the situation. I hope that I was clear to explain the situation.
But can you keep them all happy? Three players for one position.
But they have to make me happy, no?! You understand? With performances, to bring me to think but who is the better player. You understand? They have to make me happy, no. Not me! Okay.
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