Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Alasdair Gold

Every word Stellini said on Conte health, Tottenham team to face Sheffield United and Harry Kane

What's the latest injury news? Any fresh injuries?

No, no fresh injuries. All the players are good. It's normal after two days that there's players who have to recover more. The squad is the same.

Spurs have announced today their link-up with Formula 1, are you a fan yourself of the sport?

Yeah, Ferrari fan. Normal for all Italian people, Formula 1 is...since I was young I started watching Formula 1 on Sunday with my father and grandfather. Ferrari is the best for us. It's a really emotional sport and I enjoy watching it a lot. It's a great deal for the club, but also an opportunity to feel more for the Formula 1 sport.

READ MORE: The Tottenham player who helped Emerson Royal turn around his season and Daniel Levy's pay rise

A potential team bonding exercise as well with some go karting which is coming underneath the south stand?

Yeah, could be an idea if we have time and it's safe to do it, because we cannot risk to have problems but it could be really enjoyable. I like to drive. I think everyone likes to push himself in a karting race and work with speed. We're worried about the speed but it's good to challenge yourself and try to do something different to normal. It could be enjoyable but we need to be safe.

Which player would the best racing driver?

I think a player with the most courage, because if you have to challenge with speed. I think Romero is a player that can risk a bit.

How much importance have you placed on this FA Cup tie and trying to get one step closer to a trophy?

We have to progress. We have to try to win the game. It's an important competition, we take seriously all the competitions and we want to follow our momentum and we want to bring the same energy we had in our stadium to an away game. This is really important. If we feel good to do this, we can win the game, progress in the FA Cup and then we will see what happens in the next round. We have to be good, focused and determined to win this game.

Does winning a trophy like the FA Cup help keep Harry Kane?

It's not a question for me, it's more a question for the club but for sure we have to try all together to do our best. If our best is to win a trophy we have to show on the pitch and everyone can enjoy to have Harry Kane in the club, but I'm not the right person to ask about this contract.

How is Antonio and how much are you enjoying having that 100% record in charge?

I try to be successful working in football as an assistant or whatever. I'm focused on my job as an assistant. I enjoy seeing the team play well, I enjoy seeing the team playing with energy, enthusiasm and everything they have. They push with 100% on the pitch. This makes me enjoy. I want to work on this aspect and follow this momentum. At the moment we're waiting for Antonio to come back but Antonio is still here because we work with him from here and we speak a lot.

Will he be back this week?

Yeah, I think this week he'll be back. He's not in charge for this game but our doctor decides the right moment for Antonio to be back. It's a question for our medical department because they check with the doctor who did the surgery, they check today every day for the right day for Antonio to come back and I think it will be this week.

You were at Middlesbrough for that defeat a year ago, how do you balance giving players minutes that need them and not underestimating Sheffield United?

We will pick the right team to play a great match and we can win also by making some changes. We completely trust all the players we have so we can make changes and nothing has to change. Last season we knew very well that we were disappointed after the match in Middlesbrough. Now we're in a momentum where players have to take responsibility to follow this momentum. Me as well, Ryan Mason and all the staff, we are all working hard. So we expect tomorrow it will not be easy. It will be tough for sure but we have the possibility to play a good game and win the game with all the players.

Ben Davies made his 300th appearance on Sunday and he's keeping Ivan Perisic out of the side, what does he bring to the squad?

Yes, we're using Ben now but we can use Ivan and nothing changes. It depends on the game and how they fit in this particular moment. Now we have all the players ready to play this game and in the future, the next game against Wolverhampton and AC Milan is only a technical decision but they are both ready to play.

What does Ben bring to Tottenham?

He brings energy, he brings positivity. He brings everything important to play the type of match we played against Chelsea and West Ham. So positivity, energy and attacking space. All we need. If you ask Ben something, Ben is very focused on what we ask of him.

In the past it's felt like fourth place is more important than a trophy at Tottenham, what's the priority for you and Antonio?

Everything. There is no priority. We have to win and we have to try to win every game and then we'll see what happens in the end. Step by step we look what happens in the next game. We decide by taking decisions thinking about the next game but we don't like to look long-term. But to have a good vision in a long period you have to be careful in what happens today, tomorrow and the next game.

Harry Kane wants to play every game, do you have to have a difficult chat with him for this game?

No, I don't feel this. It's normal Harry wants to play every game and we want him to play every game.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.