Antonio’s verdict on Marseille: “It was important to start in the best possible way”
Thu 08 September 2022, 00:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte talked us through the tactical tweaks that helped us get the better of a tough Marseille side and win our UEFA Champions League Group D opener 2-0 on Wednesday evening.
The first half was a bit of a chess match as the French side, unbeaten in Ligue 1, set up in with the same three at the back and wing-backs and went man-to-man, a system we struggled to break down.
That all changed within minutes of the start of the second half. We won possession, Harry Kane looked for Heung-Min Son’s run from deep, he got to the ball fractionally ahead of Chancel Mbemba, who wiped him out when he was then through on goal. Referee Slavko Vinic had little option but to send off the defender.
Still, it took until 75 minutes for us to carve out the breakthrough as Richarlison, on his Champions League debut, powered home a header from Ivan Perisic’s cross. Five minutes later it was game, set and match as Richarlison delivered again, another towering header into the top corner, this time from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s cross.
“It was really tough, but we knew this and when we started to prepare the game through the video, also on the pitch, we understood very well that the game would be really tough,” reflected Antonio. “We are talking about a team that is very strong physically, they go man to man and try to win every duel.
“I think the first half we struggled a bit in these types of duels and maybe only once we kept the ball and attacked the space and shot with Harry. The second half we did this much better, started very well with this type of situation, Sonny attacked the space, and it was a red card. The game changed. After this, we created chances.
“I also tried to help the team by making substitutions, especially with Deki (Dejan Kulusevski) to play very wide and create a one v one on one side, and a one v one with Ivan (Perisic) on the other side to keep the strikers in the game.
“Then, we changed the two central defenders with Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga, because, in those moments, we had to push. Then, we were good to exploit the situation.
“I’m really happy for Richarlison, this player deserved to have this night, he’s a really good guy, a fighter, I like him a lot. In the end, we got the three points, and it was very important for us to start this competition in the best possible way.”
