What Tottenham manager Antonio Conte did to his coaching staff after Manchester United defeat

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says the next day after a defeat is perhaps the most difficult for him as a football manager. Spurs lost 2-0 to Manchester United in midweek and will now have to respond positively both in performance and in results if they are to get back on track in the league.

Tottenham have struggled to impose themselves and their playing style against top teams and were lucky to get away with a point against Chelsea earlier in the season. They did however come up short against Arsenal in the North London derby- and barely showed up against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

They are currently just four points off top spot, but manager Antonio Conte says he’s had some of those bad feelings already this season. He told reporters after Newcastle: “My first reaction is not that I’m not worried, my first reaction is I’m angry.

“I’m angry because in every game I’d like to see my team win and get three points. My first emotion is not that I’m worried, it’s not the frustration, my first emotion is that I’m angry. I’m angry because in my mind I start every game with the hope to win and when we lose my first emotion is that I’m angry but I’m angry with myself not my players.

“We have to be very clear. Then I try to use this to understand the way to improve, and avoid. I don’t like the defeat. I like it badly, especially the day after a defeat. For me the day after is really, really bad. I’m trying to improve myself but on one hand it could be better for my spirit and my family. And on the other side I know that if I lose this anger I can lose something important to transfer to my players, for the next time to try to do everything to avoid the defeat.”

Feeling pain after a defeat is the first step to being great

Antonio Conte is an absolute winner and has won trophies everywhere he’s been, the former Inter Milan manager led Spurs to a Champions League spot despite arriving half way through the season. He admits that one of the things that has kept him going is his ability to allow himself to feel the pain as it’s the first step to regaining his competitive edge.

He added: “The day after for me is a bit difficult. I try to speak with my staff to find the right solution to transfer the right message to the players. I have to transfer every moment to go in the right direction. I think that when you don’t get a good result, the first step to become a winner is that you have to feel the defeat in yourself.

“In every club that I’ve worked at I tried to transfer this to my players because if I am the only person to feel the defeat [it is not good]. If my players and all the people in this environment start to understand that a defeat is different than a win, I think this is the first step to becoming a winner.”