Antonio’s verdict on victory against Team K League
Wed 13 July 2022, 17:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte picked the positives out of a thrilling opening match of the Coupang Play Series as we beat Team K League 6-3 in front of a packed World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday evening, local time.
Just over 64,000 fans turned out for the first match of our Korean tour and were treated to two goals from their hero, Heung-Min Son and another double from Harry Kane, as the deadly duo snapped straight back into goalscoring form.
However, the goal of the night was unquestionably the first of the six - from Eric Dier. Captain in the first half, the centre-back strode forward out of defence, exchanged passes with Bryan Gil, drifted inside from the right and unleashed a left-foot drive into the top corner from 25 yards. The other goal was an own goal, Jin Hyuk Kim turning Kane’s cross into his own net for 2-1 with Richarlison ready to pounce.
Positive news saw Oliver Skipp - out since January - Matt Doherty and Japhet Tanganga all back from injury, Richarlison was everywhere on his first appearance and there were debuts for Pape Matar Sarr, Brandon Austin in goal and Charlie Sayers.
“I think it was fun for the people,” said Antonio. “To play in front of 64,000 people is amazing, and this gave us lots of excitement. It’s the first game and I’ve seen positive things, other situations I know we can improve, but we are starting the season and, for sure, the physical level of the players is not so high at this moment, and we have to try to work. At the same time, we want to get minutes in all the players in the squad.”
On the returning players, Antonio added: “They missed a lot last season, now they are working especially to improve their physical condition, because they need to work, to work a lot to find the right tempo and rhythm during the game.
“Skippy played a good first half, but I know he can do much better. It’s the same with Matthew, maybe he’s a bit behind than Skippy, but we are talking about two players who are able to recover and to be fit for the start of the season.
“Richarlison, what’s impressive is his attitude, his will, his desire. I like him in both roles, number nine, but then also in the second half like a number 10, and he showed great spirit to sacrifice for the team so, yes, a good performance from him.”
Asked where he felt the squad was in terms of pre-season - with the Premier League opener against Southampton on 6 August - Antonio told us: “I know we need to improve, because after one month (away) it’s normal, especially after last season... we finished the season by pushing ourselves to reach the top four.
“Then, the players had one month to relax and enjoy their holidays and it’s always difficult to restart. We are working, we try to match these two situations, to work in the training session and at the same time, to put into games what we’re trying in training.”
