LONDON – Antonio Conte has declared himself thrilled to be back with his Tottenham Hotspur squad, as he is set to return to the dugout on Wednesday for their decisive Champions League showdown against AC Milan.
The Spurs manager has missed the past four games as he took extra time off to recover from gall-bladder surgery and his assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been taking the reins.
During his time away, a pair of 2-0 wins against West Ham and Chelsea suggested Tottenham were on course to clinch a top-four place in the Premier League.
But that optimism faded after a dismal 1-0 loss at second-tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round and a drab league defeat by the same score at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Spurs will be seeking to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, and must overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against the Italian champions.
“Now I’m back and I’m really happy,” said Conte. “We want to go to the next round and for tomorrow I hope to feel an amazing atmosphere in our stadium as our fans give us a major boost.
“I repeat that I have to stay with the players and breathe the atmosphere of the training ground.
“Now I’m well, my feeling is good. I try to transfer my energy to my players. It’s an important game for us.”
The Italian, 53, also urged his team not to be too affected by recent poor results.
“It’s important to not look too much back. We have a very important game tomorrow. We have to be positive. We needed to learn from the negatives,” he said.
“I hope that if we have another negative game the players learn because you can learn a lot from defeats. After wins you are happy but after defeats you can learn.”
Whatever happens in the Champions League, Spurs are sitting in fourth place in the Premier League but at risk of an anti-climactic end to the season, being hunted down by a rejuvenated Liverpool, who trail by three points with a game in hand.
They are still without a major trophy since their League Cup win in 2008 and even a manager of Conte’s pedigree has been unable to break that long drought.
There are signs that he will leave as he has yet to sign an extension to a contract that expires at the end of this season, but the Spurs boss did not comment on his future.
For now, his focus will be on the Serie A giants. Tottenham are without long-term injury absentees Ryan Sessegnon, Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, while Eric Dier is missing due to a suspension.
Milan are aiming to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
Like Spurs, the Italians also head into the clash following a defeat, a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina.
“The (Fiorentina) performance won’t influence us, just as Tottenham’s two consecutive defeats won’t influence them. It is a very important match for both teams, we will both play to the best of our abilities,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli.
Just two wins from their last eight away games is a concern, and Brahim Diaz – the scorer in the first leg – is a doubt following a knee sprain. AFP
