Spurs on the up, but Conte keeps feet grounded

LONDON • Tottenham are unbeaten in six English Premier League games under new manager Antonio Conte.

In fifth place with 29 points, they have three games in hand on closest rivals Arsenal, who are fourth on 35 points.

Positive results in those postponed fixtures will see them leapfrog the Gunners and a top-four finish to end two years of exile from the Champions League is not out of the question.

Spurs travel to Southampton today and while the Italian believes "it is not easy" to play their second game in 48 hours, following Sunday's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, he has confidence in his players, even if some chopping and changing may be necessary.

Ahead of their trip, Conte said: "It is not simple for sure, but when you have this type of situation, if you have a strong squad, it is easier because you can make rotation to have a team that is fresher.

"You can have a fresh team on one hand but on the other, you can lose a bit of identity. We will try and make the best decision but it won't be easy."

While momentum is with Spurs, he is reluctant to make any comparisons with the Chelsea side he guided to the 2016-17 league title.

Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min scored on Sunday, and they looked more settled under Conte, who took over last month after Nuno Espirito Santo was fired following an abysmal run of form.

When asked if Spurs can emulate his title-winning Blues side, he said: "No, I think it's different. I remember very well (how) I started the season (in 2016)... This is different."

That Chelsea team were more polished than Spurs, having won the league two seasons before, but Conte is sensing the mood has changed in the dressing room, even as he insisted they are far from the finished article.

"For sure we have to continue to improve, to exploit the confidence that is going to improve us."

However, opposite number Ralph Hasenhuttl feels the gap between Spurs and the top three has closed since Conte's arrival.

The Saint boss said: "Yeah, well it is not so surprising when you speak about Son, Kane and Moura. There is not much better in the Premier League, so I think it is more important that he stabilised the squad defensively also, and this is what he definitely did.

"They are working harder, have definitely made a step forward. They are one of the best teams in the league. But we are not scared. We have shown that against top teams, we can take points and this is our plan for Tuesday."

Spurs will be without Ryan Sessegnon, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero while the hosts only have Alex McCarthy missing.

REUTERS

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