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‘The first step to becoming a winner is to feel that defeat within yourself’: Antonio Conte urges his players to share his ‘anger’ after Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, as they preparing for Newcastle on Sunday
- Tottenham suffered their second league defeat of the season against Manchester United
- They remain third in the ranking, but have a poor record against top clubs
- Boss Antonio Conte said he felt ‘angry but not concerned’ after United’s defeat
- The Spurs come into action on Sunday with a home game against Newcastle United
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Antonio Conte’s overwhelming emotion after defeat is anger and although he tries to control it, he doesn’t want to banish it. Conte believes this instinctive rage is the key to his winning mentality and demands his players adopt the same attitude.
“My first reaction is not that I am worried,” said the Tottenham boss. “It’s not the frustration. My first emotion is that I am angry.
“I’m angry because I start every game with the hope of winning. If we lose, I’ll be mad, but mad at myself, not at my players. We must be clear. Then I try to use this to understand the way to improve, and avoid defeat.’
Antonio Conte said he was ‘angry but not concerned’ after Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat to Man United
The loss was Tottenham’s second of the season and they remain third in the Premier League
Reflecting on Wednesday’s sobering defeat at Manchester United, Conte added: “I don’t like the defeat. I live bad, especially the day after. For me, the day after a defeat is really, really bad.
“I’m trying to improve myself, but on the one hand it can be better for my mind and my family. On the other hand, I know that if I lose this anger, I could lose something important to get the right message across to my players.
“The first step to becoming a winner is to feel that defeat in yourself. When my players begin to understand that defeat is different from victory, this is the first step to becoming a winner. I think my players are starting this process.”
Tottenham have taken just one point from three away games at Chelsea, Arsenal and United
The 2-0 loss was only Tottenham’s second defeat in the Premier League season, but it continues a worrying trend as they have taken just one point from away games against three of their top four rivals, Chelsea, Arsenal and United.
Conte spoke of ‘bad decisions’ and ‘many mistakes’ at Old Trafford, but also of ‘dumb balls’ and ‘not passing with great accuracy’. He feared that some of his players had not handled the pressure of the occasion well.
“In big games where the level is high, the pressure is high,” he said as he prepared for Sunday’s game against Newcastle.
“We have to try to deal with this. Sometimes when you’re suffering, you have to grab the ball and put it outside the stadium so you can breathe. Or if you have an injury, you stay down.
“I see a lot of teams in England understand when they are suffering. One player stops and wastes time and in this period you breathe. Your mind becomes clear again.
‘This is experience. You can’t buy it. You can only improve by playing, facing situations and finding solutions.’