Rio Ferdinand believes the mentality that Antonio Conte has instilled in his players helped Tottenham earn themselves a draw against Chelsea on Sunday.
Spurs fell behind twice at Stamford Bridge, but battled back both times to claim a 2-2 draw, with Harry Kane scoring in the final minute to rescue a point in an absorbing contest which saw Conte and Thomas Tuchel clash on multiple occasions on the touchline.
Ferdinand has admitted that Chelsea outplayed Tottenham, but praised Conte for ensuring that his side did not give up, and has insisted that the Italian’s intense approach would have worked at Manchester United if he had replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last year.
We’ve [Manchester United] got ten Hag, I’m happy with ten Hag, don’t get me wrong. But all the people that said Conte wasn’t for Man United need to shut up, because this guy shows the passion, the desire, the will,’ Ferdinand told the Vibe with FIVE podcast.
‘He had the England captain [Kane] and the Golden Boot winner from last season [Son Heung-min] in a heap in pre-season, on the sidelines spewing up in pre-season, saying to them: “listen, you want to play for me? You want to be a part of this team? You want to be part of a winning culture? Get on your all fours and be sick for it, because I’m going to work you to the bone to get you ready.”
‘And what it showed yesterday [Sunday], Chelsea were the better team for me. They were brilliant. But what that showed me yesterday, a little piece of what you expect from a Conte team, is fight.
‘That never-say-die spirit, the determination, and the key word again, the desire, to get over the line and pull a result out.
‘That result was a reflection of the manager and his character and personality, what he’s instilling in this team. And that will push them on to be better than what they’ve been in the last year, definitely.’
Conte was a candidate to succeed Solskjaer at Old Trafford in 2021, but United opted to name Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager instead, and have since appointed Erik ten Hag.
Tottenham stepped in to entice Conte to north London, and the move has worked out well so far as the 53-year-old led the club back into the top four last season.
Spurs have also started this term well, picking up four points from their opening two matches, while United have failed to earn a point under ten Hag after losing against Brighton and Brentford.
(Daily Mail)
