Ruud Gullit says Antonio Conte has turned Spurs into ‘"fighters" - and Chelsea now need to take their heavyweight rivals seriously.
The Dutch legend thinks the Italian has rid the north Londoners of their soft underbelly - and believes it’s up to the Blues to prove they can still cut the mustard under new owner Todd Boehly. Gullit still sees Manchester City and Liverpool as contesting the Premier League title, but he believes one club is definitely making progress - and, at the moment, it isn’t Chelsea.
He told Mirror Sport: “To me, Tottenham look a little bit better. Tottenham definitely look better - Chelsea look the same. I think Tottenham are more aware of what they need to do. You need a fighting spirit. That’s what they have.
“I don’t think they are ready to challenge - yet. But they look better and that’s more because of Conte. I think it’s the energy he puts into the team and also what he demands from them. It’s much better. You can see they’re fighting more for each other. That’s one thing that is so important. Therefore they will be better than last year, that’s for sure.”
Gullit both played for and managed Chelsea for three years from 1995-98 - his signing sparked a new era at the club. Along with Gianfranco Zola, the pair breathed fresh life into Stamford Bridge - transforming Chelsea from never-has-beens into a genuine force within the Premier League. After Glenn Hoddle’s exit, Gullit became player-manager and ended a 26-year trophy drought when the club won the FA Cup by defeating Middlesbrough.
He left with Chelsea second in the Premier League table after a fall-out with then chairman Ken Bates. Gullit may be remembered fondly but he has reservations about their summer’s work. Roman Abramovich’s tenure has ended, being replaced by American Todd Boehly and while the ex-Dutch master believes Thomas Tuchel is ‘a great coach’ he has reservations about their summer’s work. The former AC Milan star says that any element of surprise has vanished with Tuchel and he may need to vary his tactics.
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He added: “I think Chelsea are still the same - nothing has changed too much. They play the same system. Can they continue doing what they want to do? It’s hard - it’s interesting to see, but I don’t know if they are going to be better than last year. They do have a great coach - Tuchel. To me, it was a great surprise - it came out of nothing - winning the Champions League. Then, after that, it became more difficult for them. The surprise has gone. Everyone knows how Chelsea plays, how they approach it. It’s also difficult to keep and maintain what they do. Tottenham want to play in the same system and Conte used that in Italy when he went with three at the back. He now has the players to do so, so I think it looks better.”
However, he still believes that both clubs have work to do if they are to challenge the established order at the summit of the Premier League. Manchester City and Liverpool have slugged it out for the past few seasons and the 59-year-old still sees them as the teams to beat. He said: “Manchester City have signed Erling Haaland - and his impact was unbelievable in the first game. It’s the ease with which he scores goals. Manchester City now have an unbelievable striker at the club. But I don’t see too much changing. I still think the same. Tottenham have got better - but nothing will change with respect to the title. It will be between Manchester City and Liverpool.”
Gullit, meanwhile, has shown his support for former Chelsea star Andriy Shevchenko who has been helping refugees re-build their lives following the conflict in Ukraine. The country’s former manager and star player has been working alongside Laureus in Warsaw, Poland, as those displaced by the war with Russia attempt to find stability. Gullit, who dedicated his Ballon D’Or to Nelson Mandela when he won it back in 1987, said: “I was delighted to see Andriy visit the project. Mandela spoke at the first Laureus awards and said: ‘Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.’ Watching footage from Andriy’s visit reminded me of those words and the power sport has to change lives.”
