Antonio Conte has called on Jurgen Klopp to focus on his own side after the Liverpool manager criticised Tottenham’s tactics in the 1-1 draw between the teams last weekend.
Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes suffered a blow after a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday evening, with Klopp critical of a perceived negative approach from the visitors on Merseyside.
Spurs had just 35% of the possession at Liverpool but were organised and resolute to earn a point, whilst Klopp later conceded his criticism of the North Londoners ‘was wrong’.
Speaking ahead of Spurs’ huge clash with Arsenal on Thursday evening, Conte said he believes his side were unfortunate not to win at Liverpool and that Klopp’s criticism was an attempt to ‘find an excuse’ for his side’s dropped points.
“I want to win every game, I try to transfer this thought to my players,” Conte told his pre-match press conference.
“When I stay in one team, my aspiration or desire is to fight to win the title. To win the league in England is not easy. Pep Guardiola says Liverpool won one league in 30 years, it shows it is not simple. Maybe sometimes it’s easier to win the Champions League than the league in England.
“But after the game against Liverpool, the good answer that I heard was my players were disappointed at the end of the game. They felt the possibility to win the the game. We analysed the game the day after. If there was a team that deserved to win it was Tottenham and not Liverpool.
“I think in this game, Klopp understood he gained one point, not lost two points. I think Jurgen is an intelligent person. He was a bit frustrated after the game. For us, a top coach, it’s important to learn to be focused on your team and not your opponent. If you are focused on your opponent it means you want to find an excuse or alibi because something was wrong.”
