Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Conte delivers clear ‘we wouldn’t win’ claim to prove why Tottenham progress cannot be ignored

Antonio Conte Tottenham February 2022

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says that the recent Premier League win over Wolves is proof that his team are showing impressive progress.

Spurs have made a solid start to the 2022/23 campaign, picking up seven points from a possible nine. The two wins and a draw follow last season ending on a high note with Champions League qualification.

Six impressive new signings subsequently raised the hype about the north London side even more.

Conte won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017 and so knows what it takes to prove a team’s title credentials. While Spurs have not closed the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City, many have predicted they could.

For now, though, Conte is only focused on noticing specific improvements that add up to the bigger picture.

He told a press conference about last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolves: “We want to try to improve always in every aspect.

“I have seen a lot of positive things. For sure, if we were the team of last season, on Saturday we wouldn’t win. I’m sure, because this team is now becoming resilient and learning to suffer.

“I think if you want to become competitive you need to find and improve this situation.

“Against Wolverhampton it was the first time this season we didn’t concede a goal this season. I see a lot of positives things. Every single person tries to see the situation in the way they want to see it.”

Conte’s side go to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, where Son Heung-min will be looking to open his goalscoring account for the season.

Conte not worried about Son Tottenham form

The South Korean scooped a share of the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season with 23 goals. He has yet to score this term unlike strike partner Harry Kane.

However, Conte is certain that the goals will once again flow for the forward.

“I think Sonny in the last three games had chances to score but there’s a moment where you’re a bit lucky or a bit unlucky,” the manager said.

“I think no problem with Sonny’s performance, his attitude & commitment is always up very high. I’m happy with his performance and I don’t see any problems with him.

“No. I’m sure when he goes to score he will gain the right confidence.”

On the injury front, Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero and midfielder Oliver Skipp are still continuing their recoveries.

As for transfers, Conte was coy on Sergio Reguilon and Harry Winks, insisting that the club are looking to find the “best solution” for his squad.

Reguilon, who has lost his left-back spot to Ryan Sessegnon and Ivan Perisic, has interest from Fulham, Lazio and Atletico Madrid. English star Winks, meanwhile, is a Roma target.

Spurs must continue to turn the screw

Having won the Premier League once before, Conte knows no game is easy in the English top flight.

He will therefore be treating the Forest clash as the single-most important task for his side.

After that, the games come thick and fast, with Champions League duties on the menu for Spurs for the first time in three years.

And that is where Conte will see whether his squad can stand the test of time. Given their start to the campaign, though, there are plenty of positive signs.