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Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has admitted that it is 'very, very difficult' to win silverware in England. His statement came in the wake of Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final draw against his former club Chelsea.
Following his side's quarter-final victory against West Ham, Conte said it was 'good' for his club to reach the semis. He believes that all four teams involved will be taking the Carabao Cup seriously. The Italian said:
"I think it’s good for Tottenham to reach the semi-final of this competition. You can see the names of the teams who have reached the semi final – Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and us – it means every club wants to try to lift this trophy. Now, I’m seeing that in England to win a trophy is very, very difficult because we’ve had to beat important teams."
Spurs booked their place in the final four after beating London rivals West Ham United 2-1 on Wednesday. Steven Bergwijn opened the scoring for the home side after 29 minutes, before Jarrod Bowen bagged a leveler three minutes later.
However, Lucas Moura's tap-in at the 34' minute mark was enough for Conte's men to progress to the semi-finals. Elsewhere, Arsenal will play Liverpool in the other semi-final tie.
The Hammers had previously beaten Manchester United and Manchester City in the cup to reach the quarter-finals. According to Conte, this proves how difficult it is to win something big in England. The Spurs boss added:
"Tonight we played against West Ham, don’t forgot West Ham eliminated Manchester United and Man City. In England it’s very, very difficult to win something."
Spent two amazing years at Chelsea but now ready to give everything for Tottenham: Antonio Conte
Conte previously won a Premier League title with Chelsea in the 2016-17 season. He acknowledged the two 'amazing' years he spent with the Blues, and said that he is now ready to give his everything for his new club Spurs. Conte's troops will face Chelsea, who knocked out Brentford with a 2-0 win in their quarter-final tie, on January 6.
During the post-match press conference, the 52-year old manager said:
"I remember in the past when I was at Chelsea this trophy (Carabao Cup) was not secondary, but we used this trophy to play with young players, or with players who usually aren’t in the starting XI. For sure, it will be nice, good to play against Chelsea for me."
He added:
"I spent two amazing seasons with Chelsea and I enjoyed a lot, everything there. But now I am the manager of Tottenham and I am ready to give everything for this club."
Spurs will host Crystal Palace on Boxing Day for Round 19 of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Chelsea will travel to Villa Park on the same day to face tenth-placed Aston Villa.
