Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel believes Tottenham Hotspur should be considered challengers for the Premier League title this season given Antonio Conte's record of success.
In a coaching career that has spanned 16 years, Conte has won Serie A on four occasions – three times with Juventus, once with Inter Milan – and guided Chelsea to their most recent English top-flight title in 2017. There was also a Serie B triumph with Bari back in 2009.
However, expect the Italian's Tottenham side to compete against the likes of Man City and Liverpool for the Premier League this term. Yet Tuchel says that would be a mistake ahead as he prepares his Chelsea side to take on Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
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"I think that every team Antonio Conte trains is a title contender. It's always like this, in every country with every team," the Chelsea head coach explained. "They strengthened their squad, they strengthened in their depth, and they have a very demanding coach with an incredible record in domestic titles.
"He will push them to the limit and any team with this kind of quality management, which pushes players to the limit, can over-perform and fight for the top four. And if you fight for the top four, you fight for everything. If you're still in the race in March, you're fighting for everything. It's a long way to go and he will never admit it, but for me, an Antonio Conte team fights for everything."
At the start of the year, Chelsea faced off against Tottenham three times in the space of a month. Tuchel's side won each encounter without conceding a goal. It was a run of results that led to Conte stating there was an "important gap" between the two clubs.
That appears to have been closed this summer. Spurs have recruited well – and uncharacteristically early – in the transfer market and Conte whipped his squad into shape during an intense pre-season tour of Korea. It was no surprise to many that Tottenham started their Premier League season with a convincing 4-1 win over Southampton last weekend.
The build-up to Chelsea's campaign was far more chaotic. The takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital was only completed at the end of May and there was much work to get done to refresh Tuchel's squad. Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling have all arrived, at no little expense, and more signings are expected before the window closes.
So is the gap between Chelsea and Tottenham no more? Well, Tuchel isn't convinced there was one in the first place. "What he [Conte] felt last season, I believe he meant it at this moment, but I don't believe it was the truth that there was a huge gulf between us or a huge gap.
"In these games, consecutive games, we were the stronger team and we had the strength, the belief, the luck also, but also the discipline and momentum to beat them. This hurts, it hurts any manager, then it sometimes feels like the gap is bigger than it maybe actually is.
"I'm very sure he also said it to have the road clear. Why should he put pressure on his team? That was his reality. I mean it in a very friendly way that I don't believe everything he says. If he tells you today which players will start, we will not believe. If he tells you some tactical things or tells you that we are the huge favourites, we will not believe."
On Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel added: "It's very exciting because you feel the tension in the house. People will be excited to watch and follow. In general, we'd like to have more time, me especially [before a big game]. But we don't.
"They took advantage of their situation [this summer] in that they have a stable club, the ownership was clear, and it was clear that they reached Champions League and took advantage to reinforce their squad very early.
"It was very straightforward. They had a calm pre-season. The roads were clear. It seems like they're a bit ahead of us from the start, out of the blocks, but it does not mean that you win the race just because you win the start."
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