Antonio Conte excited to be back in Tottenham dugout for AC Milan clash
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has insisted he will relish the pressure environment on his return to work but called on the club to embrace their season-defining moment against AC Milan on Wednesday.
Antonio Conte.Conte is back in London after spending the last two-and-a-half weeks recuperating in Turin with his family following surgery to remove his gallbladder last month.
The 53-year-old returns with Spurs reeling after exiting the FA Cup last week and having lost at Wolves on Saturday to damage their hopes of another top-four finish.
Doctors ordered Conte to rest after the 1-0 defeat at the San Siro in the last-16 first leg on February 14 but the stakes will be even higher this week and while the Italian feels he can handle the moment of fighting to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, he posed the same question to the club.
"The pressure? We live for this type of game, we live for this type of moment because when the pressure is going up, it means your level is going up," the Tottenham boss stated.
"Don't forget last season we play Conference League and instead this season we are playing Champions League. We won our group, the first leg we lost 1-0 and we have possibility tomorrow to beat Milan and then to go to the next round.
"I think for sure don't forget the past and to understand we need to have step by step to improve the situation. Then if you ask me do I want to win the Champions League? I tell you yes but then there is reality.
"We have to be ready to go game by game. Tomorrow the obstacle is Milan and we have to beat them with two goals if we want to go to the next round. The pressure is normal and we have to live with this type of pressure.
"Maybe if there is one thing that we have to try to improve, the whole environment here, is to live with the pressure. To live with the pressure means to sometimes be a bit stressed and not always to be in peace with yourself, but to stress yourself and to put pressure in a positive way.
"I think that in this aspect we can improve a lot and the whole environment can improve a lot about this aspect."
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