Højbjerg on Conte: “He was honest, he’s not happy”

“Luckily I’m not the one to say if he’s right.” Pierre Højbjerg is the first Tottenham player to talk about Antonio Conte and his explosive press conference after the 3-3 draw in Southampton which seems to have definitively compromised the relationship of the Italian coach with Tottenham, who are allegedly evaluating his position. Since the withdrawal of the Danish national team, the midfielder, one of those who made the leap in quality with Conte on the bench, evaluates the coach’s words: “It is clear that he is not satisfied”.

The words

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“We all saw his press conference – said Højbjerg, 27 appearances and 4 goals this year in the Premier League, where he is second behind Harry Kane in playing time at Tottenham -: he was very honest and very open. He did it because he is not satisfied: he would not have done it if we had reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. where we want and need to be, but it’s tough. I understand that if you want to be successful as a team, you need 11 men who all believe in the same project and the same culture. But I think we should hear from him how he feels before we can, how players, evaluate the consequences of what he said. I still have the idea that the coach is not satisfied. And I know I have to do everything possible to make him satisfied. I also know that I am an honest player, one who has always 100% for himself and for the team.”

Explosive side

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Emerson Royal also spoke about Conte, in training camp with Brazil with whom he returned after a splendid start to 2023. “I don’t see any problems with him – said the right winger -. I have a good relationship with him: he’s not the type of a coach who has a close relationship with the players or who talks to us a lot, but that’s how he is. However, he is a coach who wants to help everyone, who teaches, who explains the role of each player and what he expects from everyone on the pitch He has an explosive side, a personality that he has created, but he is a manager who tries to help the team as much as possible. I have no problem.”

The situation

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While Conte returned to Italy for a few days of family vacation, some players met again today at Tottenham’s training center in the north London suburbs (including captain Hugo Lloris, who was unable to answer France’s call due to injury) , who worked under the orders of Ryan Mason, one of Conte’s deputies. A situation already envisaged by the break for the national teams, with the coach having already planned a holiday period and the bulk of the group expected to return at the beginning of next week. The British press does not expect Conte to be in the recovery, a reconstruction of this denial to the Gazzetta from corporate sources.