9 months ago
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Antonio Conte has revealed he found Tottenham's celebrations over their Champions League qualification in his first season in charge 'really strange'.
Following his Serie A title win at Inter Milan, Conte joined Spurs in 2021 despite previously managing their bitter London rivals Chelsea.
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He arrived as their replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo, who left the club ninth in the Premier League after a fifth defeat in seven matches.
Conte proved to be a crucial appointment at Spurs as they finished fourth in the Premier League, beating arch-rivals Arsenal to seal a return to Champions League football.
However, having won five league titles prior to his move to Spurs, the Italian warned his staff that their expectations needed to be higher, admitting he was confused by their celebrations despite not actually winning anything.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Conte said: “For me, to celebrate fourth place and a place in the Champions League was really strange.
"At the end of the final game against Norwich, I called my staff and said, ‘Pay attention, don’t be used to celebrating a Champions League place'. I was very clear.
"I said we did the maximum. From ninth to fourth place, with all the problems we faced, was a miracle. But we didn’t celebrate like it was a miracle because I am used to winning.”
Spurs beat Norwich 5-0 on the final day of the 2021/22 season and there was optimism heading into the following campaign.
However, Conte and his side had their fair share of struggles as they finished ninth in the league and failed to reach Europe for the first time since 2010.
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Spurs finished top of their Champions League group but exited at the last-16 stage with a whimper against eventual semi-finalists AC Milan.
They were also knocked out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup by the fifth round to leave them trophyless for the 15th season in a row.
Simon Jordan and Martin Keown clash again over Antonio Conte's departure from Tottenham, following their 6-1 loss to Newcastle
Conte endured a highly emotional season off the pitch, having had to undergo emergency surgery on his gallbladder.
He also dealt with the tragic deaths of three close friends, Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.
Spurs and Conte parted ways towards the end of March, just days after he launched a scathing attack on his players following a 3-3 draw at Southampton.
