In the latest extracts from his autobiography, Hugo Lloris has revealed how the Tottenham players struggled to cope with Antonio Conte’s extreme personality and methods.
The Italian impressed during his first 12 months in north London as he guided Spurs into the Champions League but things began to unravel during his second season before he eventually the club in March 2023.
And Lloris has explained how the now Napoli boss Conte was ‘tormented’ whenever Spurs failed to win matches and had to get his frustration out by lashing out at his squad.
The former Tottenham captain confessed that some players developed a fear of failure under the Italian and were unable to express themselves on the pitch as a result.
Lloris said (via The Standard): “I found Antonio Conte to be quite a character, driven by victory, which gave him energy, but he found it very hard to control his frustration when we started drawing, let alone losing because his inner torment had to get out; and if he was tormented, then everyone had to share that torment too, and things could get very complicated very fast.
“He told me once that in any given week, his happiness lasted an hour, just after winning, and that was it. In training, he oversaw everything, organising tactical sessions with 10 outfield players against one goalie; but it was hard for the creative players to find their places in his restrictive game-play.
“The rigidity of the structure and set sequences did us a lot of good at first but, after a few months, teams learned how to play against us and it became tougher to win.
“During matches, Conte was as extreme and eruptive as he appeared, garnering respect and fear. Such a strong personality pushed wingers to prefer to play on the side opposite the dugout.”
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Lloris reflects on Conte methods
Lloris, who now plays in MLS at Los Angeles FC, also revealed that Conte was honest but had no filter, regularly unleashing on the players when results did not go their way.
Indeed, Conte was not necessarily all that bothered about performances and was more about results, which led to Tottenham players eventually having to block out his words.
He added: “I have never forgotten our first defeat under Conte: a 2–1 loss to NS Mura in Slovenia in the Uefa Conference League. Even though I wasn’t playing, I was still entitled to his screams and reproaches, just like everyone else. In squad meetings, we would spend at least 30 minutes a day doing video analysis, not forgetting the interminable preparation camps at our training centre.
“After the defeat in Maribor, he had screamed: ‘Mura, Mura, who’s Mura?! We lost to Mura!’ I can still hear him.
“If a player needed a little love, he’d better not knock at Conte’s door. For Conte, trust is earned in training. He has no filter; he’s sincere and honest. He’s a manager who lives only by results, whereas, from a player’s perspective, performance is important too.
“That season, when we lost 3–2 to Manchester United (a Ronaldo hat-trick), a result which didn’t reflect our performance, I told Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Harry Kane in the dressing room: ‘They may have just beaten us, but I bet you we finish above them.’ And so we did, ending up in fourth place after battering Arsenal 3–0 on the last day, situating ourselves halfway between Conte’s demanding nature and a little self-management because, by dint of being whipped and screamed at, we eventually stuck our fingers in our ears.”
Latest Tottenham news: Spurs eyeing Prem attacker / Romero to push for Real move
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined the growing race to sign an exciting Premier League attacking midfielder currently excelling on loan at Leicester City.
Argentine forward Facundo Buonanotte is the player in question, with the highly-rated 19-year-old currently on loan with the Foxes from Brighton.
His performances have seen the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City sit up and take notice and now Fichajes reports that Spurs are also keen on his signature.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero could hunt a big transfer to Real Madrid in 2025, while Carlo Ancelotti is rumoured to be plotting three big exits if he remains in charge.
A report has claimed Romero is ‘increasingly likely to push’ for a Real Madrid move if they accelerate their pursuit of him ahead of next summer.
In FOCUS – Conte managerial stats at Tottenham
Antonio Conte stats at Tottenham
