Antonio Conte feels a responsibility to deliver success at Tottenham

Posted Monday, December 06, 2021 by PA

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says he feels responsibility towards the fans after they chanted his name during the 3-0 win over Norwich.

A stunning goal from Lucas Moura was added to by second-half strikes from Davinson Sanchez and Son Heung-min as Spurs remained unbeaten in four Premier League games under Conte.

After large apathy under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs supporters have taken to the Italian and chants of “Antonio, Antonio, Antonio” rang around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 5, 2021

They will be hoping Conte is building something special as they are now back in the top-four race, sitting two points behind West Ham with a game in hand.

Conte is grateful for the support and feels a responsibility to deliver.

“Honestly, first of all I want to say thanks to all the fans that sung my name,” he said. “In one hand, I’m very happy, very enthusiastic for this.

“On the other hand, I feel a lot of responsibility towards our fans. I think they trust a lot in my work and to listen to my name it was good, also because I have just arrived only one month I’ve been here and for sure I have this responsibility to deserve this and maybe it is too early.

Antonio Conte feels a responsibility to deliver success at Tottenham — Tottenham secured a third consecutive league win (Adam Davy/PA)

“I want to show in the future I deserve this. I think the good result helps you, but I want to deserve if the fans decide to sing my name for my work, for my involvement in this club, in this situation.”

Moura’s fine solo goal put Spurs in front as he rounded a Norwich defender, played a one-two with Son and then blasted a 25-yard effort into the top corner.

It was his first Premier League goal since February and Conte wants to see more output from the Brazilian.

“I think he scored an amazing goal but he has the quality to score more goals and he has to score more goals in the rest of the season,” Conte added.

“We need this type of situation. He’s very good, I think in front we have great quality with important strikers.

“Lucas has great quality and surely my expectation is to see much more goals like this, but good performance with and without the ball.”

The scoreline perhaps flattered Spurs as Norwich missed key chances at big moments, with Teemu Pukki wasteful in just the third minute and Adam Idah missing a sitter at 1-0.

The defeat was the first of Dean Smith’s reign and he was frustrated.

“I am disappointed and frustrated because our performance deserved more,” he said. “There will probably be some lazy punditry later saying it was expected, but we were always in the game.

“They were more clinical than we were. I thought we were the better team in the first half. A good player scored a really good goal, but we were always in the game. I thought we stuck to our game plan and adapted to it really well.

“The performance is a step in the right direction, the result aside. We have to learn how to defend better, especially from set-pieces.

“If we hadn’t conceded that set-piece goal I think we would have got something out of the game. Our performance levels have got better.”