Tottenham Hotspur was riding some momentum heading into their EFL Cup semifinals first-leg match against Chelsea. Manager Antonio Conte has turned the ship around and has Spurs in a position to challenge for a UEFA Champions League.
However, against Chelsea, Conte and Tottenham were reminded how far they still need to go to challenge the top clubs in the Premier League. The north London club fell 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in their first leg.
During his press conference, The Atheltic relayed Conte’s remarks stating that there’s no comparison between Thomas Tuchel’s squad and his, which is still under reconstruction since he came aboard in November and didn’t have a summer to reshape the team.
“It was a difficult game, difficult from the start. I think Chelsea showed they are much better than us,” Conte said. “We know that we are talking about one of the best teams in Europe, in the world, with Chelsea. They won the Champions League.”
“And if you compare it to (our) team, I think there is not a comparison. We are talking about a team that is ready to win, and they had an important part in these years, and I think today we have seen the difference between the two teams.”
The January window is open for the Italian tactician to make moves to improve the squad. However, with only a month to do some deals, there’s not much change coming until this summer.
Nonetheless, acquiring a player or two to challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot could be the goal and then, in the summer, begin the overhaul of the squad into Conte’s vision.