Is there any team news or updates?
It is difficult to answer because only yesterday night we played and I think no, but sometimes after one day can happen something you need, especially the medical department need time to make a valuation but I hope not (any injuries) and we finish with all the players, a bit tired, especially the players recovering from injuries like Rodrigo Bentancur, like Deki Kulusevski and only fatigue.
On reflection, is this Spurs team closer to what you want?
No, but I think that we are doing progress in my opinion, in my mind in some aspects. In other aspects I think we have to come back like last season and to be a bit more solid, a bit more focused, a bit more nasty. Yeah, because in my opinion we improved in many aspects because also this season we are scoring many goals, we create many chances, our organisation to press was much better than last season. I repeat if I compare the game we played last season at Manchester City, apart from the result I have to be happy much more than the performance of last season.
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Last season I remember very well they had 75 per cent possession and created a lot of chances and we were really lucky. But at the same time, we were really good to stay there, to suffer and to win the game. This season, yesterday I think we played a good game and a game that we prepared. A game that a team like Tottenham has to play, face-to-face and open, but at the same time we created chances to score, we score two goals but we have to try to find the same solidity of last season. To learn again to suffer in the moment that we have to suffer together and the whole team because the whole team attacks and the whole team defends.
I think we are in the right direction from my experience. In my previous experience for example, it happened in my first season at Inter Milan that in Champions League we play against Borussia Dortmund. After the first half we were winning 2-0 and we lost 3-2. We were at the start of the process and I think this (Man City) game remembers (reminds) me of the start at Inter Milan because in the second half we concede three goals and it was really difficult, but then you have to go through this situation to improve and to go to another level.
How do you turn your focus to Fulham after such a crazy second half against Manchester City?
You have to build the game against Fulham and to keep in consideration the first half. Then to give consideration to the second half and you have to take the positive situation and the negative situation. Also I watched the game in the second half but they shot four times and they score four times. They didn't dominate the game or we suffered to stay behind and a lot of chances for them. The game yesterday was really, really balanced. When we were 2-2, we had a massive, massive chance to go 3-2 and I think also it could be different the situation.
I have to analyse the situation. In the last two games we played against the first and second. In my opinion we show we can play and get good result but at same time there is a lot of situations that we have to improve otherwise you don't lose both games. Against Arsenal in my opinion if we watch the final result, we are talking about a loss 2-0 but then at the end you see their goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch.
Yes they created difficulty and the coach said they were lucky but this is not enough to be considered a top team and for this reason we have to build on the positivity of the situation of these two games but to understand we have to find again something that last season we had. I don't know why for one reason or another this season we maybe lost. We lost something because a team like Tottenham in the last 10 (league) games we conceded 21 goals. This is not possible for a club that wants to stay there, to try to fight and to be competitive.
Spurs fans are questioning the progress being made but is there progress because the team is still in three competitions and could still get top four this season?
The progress is for what I see and for what the team produces. The progress doesn't depend on the result because during a process when you start on one level and then you start to work, the progress it doesn't depend only on the result. Then you know very well in football in the final you go to see the result and if you play well or if you play bad, what remains is the result. In my opinion as a coach the result is important but at the same time if you want to become a strong team, then you have to show in every game that you have the possibility to get the result.
I think in this season we are doing many times up and down, in this season against the top six we never won. We lost all the games apart from Chelsea and this is our target to understand, to continue to progress, to improve also the result but the progress doesn't depend on the final result. It doesn't depend. The progress you see if you start to see the players play with the personality, to start the game with the will and desire to have the ball, to create chances, to go strong, to press and to win duals. In this situation you can see for the coach the progress.
Then if you have this progress, probably you have a good result but I said in one side, we are doing progress. In other side, compare to last season, we are doing less and to concede 21 goals in the last 10 games, this is usually a team that fight for a relegation zone conceded 21 goals in 10 games but we have to find the balance. To continue to improve the positive situation and to turn the season, especially turning the situation we have to improve like to concede a goal easily, to concede in this moment at least two goals every game, we have to turn this into a positive.
Every manager hates losing but do you feel under more pressure than normal due to the lack of wins, when you are used to winning matches at other clubs?
Honestly, yes for sure when you are used to win many, many games and to lose three or four games in one season, this could be frustrating. Honestly I have to tell you, last season when it happened in a part of a season like this, especially when we lost three games in 14 days against Chelsea but I think a clever person, a smart person, an intelligent person has to understand what is the situation, what is the moment, what we can reach and what we have to do to change the situation.
Because I think the situation compared to my past is different. I always said to you it's different. My task here is to build, to help the club and try again to build a solid foundation and then to improve step by step to become competitive and to fight for something important.
I understand this is my take and in the moment you understand this then for sure you have to put your heart, your mind, your head to lose some games more than the past because you need a process. You need a a process, you need patience, you need time and this is what I can tell you. Only this, but without recrimination or to try to be offensive for something.
Only then I know that my way is only one way, to work hard and to try to transfer my mentality to the players. The players are doing everything to try to improve themselves but I know that we need time to improve, to improve this process and to become stronger than now but if you ask me which is our target, the next target is to get three points. The target and target of my players is to win every game. We know of the difficult in England, not only the top teams but also the teams that are medium are strong. So compared to last season we need to find the solidity, the desire, the will to defend strongly and not concede a goal. I repeat, the only situation I see worse than last season is the goals we conceded because we produce chances, we score and the problem is that we're conceding many goals.
You said last season it would take a miracle to reach the top four, will it take another miracle to make the top four this season?
I said this for the situation because when you change a coach then in January you send away or loan I think maybe four players and then you bring in two players. In this type of situation it's very difficult to have this achievement, especially in England because to stay in the top four it means that one team like City, United, Liverpool or Arsenal have to stay out. Then you have teams that are going in an incredible way like Newcastle.
I said this because I felt we made fantastic achievement. For us it was also good not to have other competitions and to focus on the league. No injuries.
This season we started to face four competitions, the Champions League costs you a lot of energy. You can make rotation, it's the same for the Premier League. The situation compared to last season is different.
We tried to improve the squad this summer but you know this is only the start. If you think to send away nine players, then to bring others players is so simple, to be competitive I can tell you that we need time, patience.
The only thing we are doing is the work, we are continuing to work with the players. Then we want to be realistic but at the same time in myself I dream. I dream, I want to play Champions League. There are 18 games in the Premier League. There is another competition in the FA Cup and for sure in our mind we need to dream of something important.
But at the same time to be realistic because if you are realistic I think that you are not stupid and you understand the work that we have to do something more if the dream is to become a reality.
How can you improve the defence? Is it through changing players, bringing in new players or changing the tactics?
It doesn't depend on the players. It doesn't depend on the single part. You attack with the whole team and you defend with the whole team.
I think we have to improve the spirit, the collaboration, the will, the desire, the feeling to suffer also because maybe we have forgotten to suffer and to understand that if we want to win the game then maybe you have to stay there, to suffer like last season. You have to defend the result, the will and desire not to concede a goal. last season I don't remember how many clean sheets with Hugo but this season in every game this season we concede at least two goals but this is our medium, our average, like a team that is fighting for the relegation zone.
This is the negative area and I have to analyse the negative and positive situation. Positive situation is I think we have improved a lot to face important opponents like Manchester City and it was the same against Liverpool. We deserved much more against Liverpool.
But at the end the most important thing you remember is the final result, not that you are playing much better or creating chances and then you are a team that is producing much more with the ball and the personal idea of the players is improving. It remains that now you lost the game, you lost the game against the top six.
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