Conte describes Tottenham manager Pochettino in three words
By Harry Sykes
Antonio Conte has hailed Mauricio Pochettino as a “very good manager” in a resounding three-word appraisal of the Tottenham manager.
But Chelsea boss Conte insisted that the Argentine is not working under the same pressure at Spurs as he is in west London.
Conte delivered his outspoken view as he responded to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s claim that this summer’s transfer spending is “unsustainable” by insisting Chelsea are under far greater pressure to succeed than their capital rivals.
“I think Tottenham were very good and I think Pochettino is a very good manager and the club is a very good club,” the Italian told the Times. “But in this season, you built something important. You never won.
“My question is this: what are Tottenham’s expectations? If they don’t win the title, it’s not a tragedy. If they don’t arrive in the Champions League, it’s not a tragedy.
“If they go out in the first round of the Champions League it’s not a tragedy. If they go out after the first game that they play in the Europa League and go down against Gent, it is not a tragedy.
“Maybe for Chelsea, Arsenal, City, United and – I don’t know – Liverpool, it is a tragedy. You must understand this.
“For us, if it is not a tragedy you can keep calm and then face the Champions League and try to do our best as we always do. But you must understand the status of the team.”
Tottenham are yet to buy a single player in the current window and have sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City for more than £50million, a player than Conte revealed he tried to sign this summer.
By contrast, Chelsea have secured three £30million-plus signings in defender Antonio Rudiger, central midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and striker Alvaro Morata.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs have been joined by their London rivals in pursuit of this £26.7million-rated midfielder.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Tottenham breaking news.