"It is a strange situation" - Antonio Conte slams fixture schedule ahead of Tottenham's clash with Brentford

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has blasted the Premier League for their scheduling of fixtures. The Italian believes he needs more time to work with Tottenham players who are just returning from the FIFA World Cup break.

Spurs have lost three of their last five Premier League matches before the season was paused for the World Cup. They began well in the league but slipped to fourth and are now eight points behind arch-rivals Arsenal, who are on top of the table.

The Lilywhites take on Brentford in the first match on Boxing Day. Speaking to the media ahead of the Premier League restart, Conte was adamant that the games had come too early. He said:

"It is a strange situation and honestly to play so quickly - only one week after the World Cup - I am not really happy. In one hand, you are happy because for my club, Tottenham, to have 12 players at the World Cup it means that we are in the right way to try to be competitive and to try in the future to win something."

The Italian manager added:

"But it is normal that when you have so many players play a tournament like this, especially during the season, that now it is not easy because the physical condition is not at the top. It is impossible to give them a lot of rest and for sure with the players that didn't play the World Cup and we work for four weeks, now they are in a great physical condition. We work a lot on the tactical aspect and physical aspect. Now they are at a level that is better than the players who finished the World Cup."

Continuing to voice his frustration, the Spurs manager went on to say:

"For this reason, I think I have to make the best decision for the game against Brentford. On one side, I have players who I worked with for four weeks really well and on the other side, I have players who worked at the World Cup and are not at the top at the moment."

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Antonio Conte's future at Tottenham hangs in the balance?

Antonio Conte is reportedly stalling a contract renewal at Tottenham and is now entering the final six months of his deal.

Reports suggest the Italian manager is looking to discuss the future with the club towards the end of the season as wants assurance over the transfer funds.

Reports in Italy claim that the manager is eyeing a return to Juventus, a side that has is going through a troubled period on and off the pitch.

The Bianconeri have been far from their best under Massimiliano Allegri, sitting 10 points behind the toppers Napoli in third place. They also finished third in the UEFA Champions League group stages and dropped down to the UEFA Europa League.