Antonio Conte insists a top four finish would represent ‘a good achievement’ for Tottenham this season and has called the Premier League ‘the most difficult league’.
Spurs are fourth in the Premier League table as the club chase Champions League qualification, but face a fight to secure a top four finish. Last weekend’s win over Nottingham Forest leaves Conte’s side four points ahead of Newcastle in fifth, though the Magpies have two games in hand on the north Londoners.
Spurs have exited the Champions League and FA Cup in recent weeks to extend the club’s wait for silverware, leaving the top four race as the focus for the remainder of the season.
Liverpool and Brighton are also pushing for a place in Europe’s elite and Conte has opened up on what promises to be a fascinating run-in. Speaking ahead of Spurs’ clash with Southampton this weekend, the Italian said securing Champions League football is a ‘good achievement’ for any side in the division.
“For sure, to finish in the top four is a really good achievement for every club in the Premier League,” he told his pre-match press conference.
“You can see the table and you can see there are important teams that in the past won trophies, important trophies, and now they’re struggling.
“Don’t forget other teams like Brighton, who have important players in the club and are on a good run. Brentford also are having a fantastic season, then Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea.
“There is also United in this race. For sure it will be a good achievement to finish in Europe this season, like last season.
“Liverpool last season, until the end of the season, they were in a fantastic run to win everything. They lost in the Champions League final and finished second one point behind City. They won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. We are talking about a big team. It shows that in one season you can struggle.
“Chelsea won their last Premier League with me. It can happen. This type of situation, Liverpool situation, underlines the difficulty of the Premier League. It’s the most difficult league. Guardiola said he knows that every game you have to battle. Football is going to become like the NBA and we have to be ready for it.”
