There seemed to be a full squad training out there, is everyone fit to play?
No, because Deki started to have a little part of the training session with us but he will not be available tomorrow. Lucas Moura is available despite having only two or three training sessions, but tomorrow he is with us on the bench. No other problems. No other injuries.
Harry Kane is yet to score in the Champions League....
You know his form, Harry has started the season really well. We are working to continue to do well and improve, to improve himself because I know Harry can take big, big levels. For us, he is a really important player, scoring goals in the Premier League and we need his goals also in the Champions League. He has to continue to work in the way he is working and every day when I speak with my players I ask them to push themselves and try to aspire to make the difference.
Every day we have this possibility to improve ourselves. My demands are very high but we have only one way to try to be competitive in this league and this tournament. To be really good and aspire every day to make the difference and be better than the day before.
READ MORE: Conte boost, who trained, who dived in and almost hurt Bryan Gil - Things seen in Spurs training
How are you juggling this period with so many games and the World Cup on the horizon?
It’s not simple. It’s a difficult situation for all the clubs. To play every three days is a big effort. You have to try to manage the situation in the best possible way. You know that you have to make rotations but, at the same time, you know you need to get good results. Otherwise there is a lot of criticism for the results.
Fingers crossed to try to have all the players available to make rotation with great balance, because it is important in every game to have a good balance. And when you make a lot of rotation you to not lose your identity. This is the most important thing for every team to keep the club at a good level.
Have you been developing different systems with the 3-5-2?
If you remember last season we used 352 and we played two or three games with 442. We try to use the best formation. At the same time, don’t lose our identity. This is very important because when you change formation something on the pitch is going to change. The last game we worked with this system. It can be for me a good option for the future. We see. We go game by game. When you play every three days you also face injuries.
For me against Brighton it was important to give a bit of rest to Richy… We go game by game. You know when you go to play a game every two to three days, you have to face also injuries. For me against Brighton, it was really important to give a bit of rest for Richarlison because Kulusevski and Moura weren't available. I think it's positive to have an alternative to our 3-4-3.
Harry is the face of England, against discrimination and promoting mental health, do you ever worry he's taking too much on?
I think that Harry is the best person to represent this campaign, these type of situations. You know that Harry is not only a top player, but a top person and he's a really good example. I think to give him this type of responsibility is good because it invites the people to follow this campaign. I'm sure at the same time Harry is focused on football, but for me it's ok and I like that he is involved in this type of situation.
Is the mechanism there for you to check that he's ok and remaining fresh with all these commitments?
I'm sure he's really focused on football and he's really good to divide the two situations, to give 100% in both situations.
How much of this season, with so many games coming thick and fast, is it just about winning and not the style or how many goals are scored?
I think that every team plays to win, plays to get three points. For sure to get a win, three points, you need to have a team that is well organised to try to play football and have a good balance in my opinion.
If you want to have a hope in the end to fight for something important you have to have the balance in the team, offensively and defensively. I think we are working very well. For sure we have a lot of space for improvement. I push my players to improve themselves every day through the work, because for sure the staff and I we work every day to improve our players.
I know that if we improve every player then our level will be more up than now. The win is important and at the same time it's important also to enjoy football, to play and to play football with the right intensity and to involve also your fans and to be happy about your football.
Is there an exact science to winning trophies or is there an element of luck involved as well?
Especially in this type of tournament - the Champions League, the Europa League - you play not many games. Because the Premier League, Italian League and the French League, the best team usually wins the competition after 38 games. It is usually the side which has shown itself to be more regular and deserves to win.
In this competition sometimes you need a bit of luck and in the past, maybe one team has deserved to win and they dropped out because the ball hit the post instead of going into the net. For sure a bit of luck is important, but I don’t like to think that we need to have luck to win because the first most important thing is to work, know everything about your opponent, have your team really well prepared and face the game in the right way.
For sure tomorrow is a very important game and the players know that very well. We have played three games and have got four points. I have always said to you that this group has great balance and in any event you can gain points and lose points.
Now we have two games in row at home and we need to exploit these two games because in our mind and our heart and our desire there has to be only one thought - to go to the next round. This has to be very to go next round. Any my players know very well we have the possibility to do it, but for sure we have to show we deserve to go through to the next round.
Will Dejan Kulusevski be ready to face Everton and were you tempted to play him tomorrow?
He is very close to being ready. He had an MRI and that was really, really positive. At the same time, I spoke to the doctor and he said there would be a five per cent risk if we played him tomorrow. I don’t want to take risks because Deki is a very important for us. It would be really stupid to try to risk him and lose him for the rest of our nine games. A bit of patience and we will try to use him in the best possible way. With Everton, probably he will be available to play.
READ NEXT:
Tottenham player ratings: Kane missing final touch, Lloris kicking poor and quiet Richarlison
- Antonio Conte's contract situation with Tottenham explained and how it affects Juventus links
Fabio Paratici appoints ex-Real Madrid scout as Spurs' new-look backroom structure takes shape
- Behind the scenes of irked Conte press conference and unfortunate Djed Spence and Doherty moment
- What happened when the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium paid tribute to the Queen and new King
