Tottenham boss Conte says qualifying for Champions League would be like winning the WHOLE thing

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has boldly admitted that qualifying for the Champions League this season would be the equivalent of winning a trophy for his Spurs side. 

A double from Harry Kane, a goal apiece for Heung-min Son and Sergio Reguilon and a Michael Keane own-goal saw Conte’s team earn a morale-boosting 5-0 victory against a sorry Everton on Monday night. 

Conte had previously distanced himself from the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League, but says if his side manage it, it will be like winning the whole tournament.

Conte’s Spurs side earned a morale-boosting 5-0 victory against a sorry Everton on Monday

‘Now we have 12 games to play until the end of the season,’ he said. ‘I listen and you ask me in every press conference about the top-four race.

‘I said to my players that it’s right to take responsibility about this because I think that from when I arrived to now we are stronger.

‘In January two players made us more complete. I think that we can fight. We can fight for this target. It’s important to have this ambition and it’s not right to hide our ambition and we’ll see what happens.

‘We’ll try to do everything and at the end we’ll see what happens. Now we have only 12 games to play, not a trophy to play for. For this reason it’s right to take the responsibility, me, myself, I have to be the first.

‘You know I don’t like to speak about ambition and reaching a place in the Champions League because I like to play to win the league and win trophies, but in this situation this could be our Champions League, our Premier League title if we are able to reach fourth place.’

Conte added that Spurs’ ambitions may be aided by having more time to focus on matches

Monday’s win means Tottenham are now just three points off fourth-placed rivals Arsenal, though they have played one game more. 

Conte added that Spurs’ ambitions may be aided this season by having more time to focus on matches, given they are now out of all domestic and European cups.  

‘It’s difficult to beat us when we have more days to prepare. The big problem is when we have games in a short period. 

‘When you don’t have more time to prepare the game. Now we have only one target, to finish in the best possible way. We have more time to prepare and we have to try to do our best and we’ll see at the end of the season.’