Antonio Conte ushered in a new era for Tottenham as the Italian manager took charge of Tottenham for the first time as the Spurs matched up with Vitesse in Europa League action. Tottenham came out on top, 3-2, behind goals from Son Heung-min (14′), Lucas Moura (22′), and Jacob Rasmussen (28′, own goal).
Vitesse scored in quick succession soon after (Jacob Rasmussen 32′, Matus Bero 39′).
“The most important thing is we got three points,” Son said. “It was like a rollercoaster game, but we made it hard. I always want to help the team.”
Vitesse had defeated Tottenham 1-0 back in October while Spurs were still under Conte’s predecessor, Nuno Espirito Santo.
Conte, joins Tottenham with high expectations having won 67+ percent of his Premier League games manager, second-best behind Pep Guardiola.
“His career speaks perfectly for itself,” Guardiola said of Conte’s return to a Premier League club. “He has had success everywhere. An absolutely outstanding manager.”
A report recently indicated the players within the Tottenham side were ‘more than excited’ to start the new era under Conte.
Conte joined Tottenham just this past week with a contract set to last until June 2023 with the option to extend the agreement for one more season.
Conte took over fourth place Inter Milan and won Serie A in 2021; he took over 10th place Chelsea and won the PL in 2017; he took over seventh-place Juventus and won Serie A in 2012.
“My teams must have possession and have ways to attack and score goals, while playing attractive football with passion,” Conte said prior to his first match with the club. “We want to feel your passion, to connect with this team and to enjoy moments together.”
“It was a crazy game, usually I don’t like this type of game,” Conte said after the win. “Crazy game means anything can happen. But at the same time, we should win and we won.”
Son has now scored Tottenham’s first goal under each of their last three permanent managers (Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte).
“We need to suffer, the more we suffer the more we win,” Son said after the match. “Antonio did not say too much. He has only taken two sessions before this match. We are looking forward to working with him.”
“I think the suffering is good for these players and this team,” Conte added. “I think they needed to work a lot. We need to find the time to work. We have to improve. I also think this is the positive that there is room for improvement in this team.”
Reguilon and Emerson Royal look like the ideal options to test the role of being a wingback in Conte’s expansive system.
Royal’s energy was off the charts on Thursday as he officially now has the world record of most distance covered in a game with 16.7km against Vitesse, surpassing Harry Kane’s previous record of 15.3km.
Conte takes charge of his first Premier League match with Tottenham this Sunday, 7 November, vs Everton.
