The end of the season is so near yet it will feel so far for Tottenham as they continue to push for a top four finish with just seven games remaining of the Premier League season.
After winning seven of their last nine top flight fixtures, Spurs have risen into fourth place to take pole position ahead of the final two months of the campaign, in which they are looking the favourites to secure UEFA Champions League football for next season.
And despite Arsenal and Manchester United still very much in the mix for a top four finish, Antonio Conte has warned the chasing pack that his side are “ready to fight until the end”.
In Friday’s pre-match press conference, Conte said: “I say to you now that the team is ready, ready to fight until the end in this race. This race is not easy, it's very important because to finish in the top four would mean a very good result for the club.
“We watched (this week) how important it is to play Champions League, how fascinating these types of games are, and I’m sure there is a great desire in my players to be protagonists in this competition, but we know very well there are other teams who are very strong - Arsenal, United, West Ham, Wolverhampton are in this same race with us, but we want to fight until the end and we will see what happens at the end of the season.”
Conte’s side have been able to take advantage of Arsenal losing their last two matches and United winning just one of their last five, while both West Ham and Wolves have begun to drop off. As things stand, the Gunners look the only real threat for Spurs, while also having a game in hand.
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Saturday’s clash with Brighton presents itself as the next challenge, although Spurs will be full of confidence having already defeated the Seagulls twice in 2022, when a 3-1 victory in the FA Cup in February was followed by a 2-0 success on the south coast in March.
Another three points in their early kick-off with Brighton would see them open up a six-point gap over the Gunners for a few hours at least, and Conte understands how important it will be to get the job done in order to mount the pressure.
But he is also respectful of Graham Potter’s side, despite having defeated them twice already this season, after they beat the Gunners 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium just last weekend. Nonetheless, he has credited his own players for showing “great focus” in preparation for Saturday’s game.
Conte said: “For us, Saturday it will be a really important game because we are going to play against a really strong team,” he said. “We played in the last period twice against them and in both games, we struggled a lot because they were organised, have good players, a good manager.
“The last game they won against Arsenal. I watched the game and they deserved to win. They weren’t lucky, they deserved to win.
“For this reason, in this moment it will be very important not to make big mistakes and try to get three points. The game will be very difficult against Brighton, but we are working very well, the players and my staff are working very well, I have seen great focus this week.”
