Antonio Conte has played down Tottenham’s expectations to win a trophy as they prepare for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea.
After leading Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in 11 years before leaving the club in May, Spurs fans will hope the Italian can guide them to a first trophy since their 2008 League Cup triumph.
But Conte said: “I think that, for everyone, it’s always very important to win trophies – for the club, for the players, for the managers.
“On one hand, I have to tell you this. On the other, I think you have to build to win trophies. You can win trophies by speaking and saying you want to win. But then you have to be good and build something ready to win.
“At this moment, Chelsea are more ready than us to win. They won the Champions League last season. We have a lot of space for improvement, to be a team with aspiration to win.
“We’ll do everything to reach the final of this trophy. But I repeat, to use this verb or word ‘to win’ is more simple than winning – because to win you have to build something important, be solid, have an important squad. Then you’re ready to win.
“Otherwise, you have to hope – to hope in your work you’re doing and to hope to do something outstanding.”
(BBC Sport)
