Antonio Conte has been speaking about his work and family balance with his wife and daughter still living in Italy while he manages life at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 53-year-old's wife Elisabetta and his teenage daughter Vittoria remained in Italy when the former Inter and Chelsea boss took on the job in north London back in November, with Vittoria settled and busy studying in her final years of secondary school back home. Since then Conte has often caught flights back to Italy straight after Tottenham matches to spend any days off with the pair and during holidays they come to stay with him in England.
"You know very well the importance of the family for everybody. Last season, everything happened in November so quickly that it was really difficult to change the situation for my family," said the Italian. "Now I have a daughter that at the moment I have to respect is her moment because she’s growing and to change many schools I think is not good.
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"For sure, I know very well that she loves London, my daughter. Now I think I'm really focused, really focused because we decided to go in this way with my family, also in this season and then we will see. We will see in the future to try to find the best solution, but you know, when you have a family, I think it's right to respect the family and also sometimes if you have to put the family in front of you and also in your choice sometimes."
Conte lives in an apartment within a central London hotel and he admits the benefits of having the washing and cleaning done each day outweigh the long-term aspect of hotel life and he also admitted that the owners of the hotel have taken him into their family.
"For sure [there are advantages], it was a really good choice in this aspect!" he said with a laugh. "Then, honestly, I live in the hotel and now the people and the owner, I'm part of their family. They consider me a person that lives there and, for this reason, I want also to use this moment to say thanks because they treat me very well."
One place that is certainly feeling like home for Conte now is the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Spurs have a 100% record this season at the huge ground in N17. The north London side now have four of their remaining six Premier League matches at home before the World Cup.
"First of all, fingers crossed! For sure we want to continue this good run at home," he said. "To play at home for sure gives you a lot of energy, positive energy, because our fans from the start until the end they push us in a strong way. I feel this energy on the bench and I think my players feel this positive energy into the pitch.
"We know very well and I know very well because I was a player what it means to play away when you find a difficult atmosphere. I remember at Sporting Lisbon, also in Eintracht Frankfurt and then in England when you play in some stadiums it’s very very difficult – I remember against Nottingham Forest it was really difficult, a lot of noise. We have to try to exploit it when we play at home, for sure our fans have to be a twelfth player for us. We have to play with one player more. For Tottenham this has to be important – for the fans, for the players, for me."
On the most intimidating atmospheres he played in during his career, the former Juventus midfielder added: "Usually when I was abroad, when I had to come in [to the country] and to play in England is not simple! When I was a player or coach – to play against an English team is not simple because you feel an amazing atmosphere. You enjoy it but at the same time it can intimidate you. The stadium is always full and the people push a lot and yeah it’s a fantastic and amazing atmosphere that can intimidate you."
On Saturday, Spurs welcome Everton to their home, having signed the Toffees' best player last season, Richarlison, for £60m in the summer. The 25-year-old Brazilian has fitted in well at Tottenham, but Conte admitted he had doubts at first about playing him in a three with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
"I think when we play with three strikers, you have to know that your type of game is more direct. Not with a lot of possession because you have three strikers, only two midfielders," he said. "On one side, you control the game less but on another side you know you have three strikers with Sonny, Harry and Richarlison. With the rest of the team, we have to put them in the best situation to score.
"Honestly, at the start, I had some doubts about the balance to put three strikers like Richy, Harry and Sonny, because you know very well you have to attack, but at the same time it’s important to have a good balance if you want to be competitive.
"At the start I had some doubts to put them altogether, but then when it happened, I had always a great answer about Richy, Sonny and Kane because we are talking about three strikers, but three strikers who work a lot for the team. This is why I think we can play with these three strikers because they give us a lot of potentiality offensively, but at the same time, defensively, we have a good balance."
Spurs sit third in the Premier League table, four points of north London rivals Arsenal who lead the way and Conte's men have only lost once in the competition this season. When asked how many points he wanted the team to achieve before the winter break for the World Cup, Conte said he simply wants to better last season.
"It’s difficult, we have to try to exploit every single game to get points. To make a prediction is very difficult. In England, in the Premier League, every game is not easy, you have to fight a lot," he said. "Then we have the Champions League that we want to go to the next round, but in this moment my will and desire is to win every game.
"We have to try to be better than last season. We have to try to do this. Last season we finished 20 points less than City and Liverpool. It means the gap was really important. My idea, what I want to try at the end of the season to reduce this gap. To have 20 points less than another team means there is a lot of difference.
"We are trying to work, to improve our situation, to become more competitive and my aspiration, and the players think the same way, is to show this season we have improved and are going in the right direction to reduce this gap."
Conte also believes his Tottenham players will have learned plenty from their struggles late in the Champions League victory against the 10 men of Eintracht Frankfurt which they can take with them this season.
"I don't think it was a question of mentality, but it was a big lesson. We can learn a lot about the game with Eintracht Frankfurt because we have to know that, when you have control of a game, you have to pay attention and stay focused," he said. "Now it's positive that this situation happened because the game finished well – but it would have been a disaster for us, for the table, for our position in the Champions League and for me [if the lead had been lost], but I have clever players, intelligent players, and I think they understand very well the way to improve. For sure they were really disappointed with what happened in the last 10 minutes and I'm sure this lesson will be very important for us in future."
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