While experts praised the resilience shown by Tottenham at Anfield, Klopp was not pleased with their approach.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager has slammed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for criticising the London club’s style of play. Antonio Conte said the German coach was simply looking for an “excuse or an alibi” following the 1-1 draw on Saturday. The draw did no good to both teams. Spurs needed the win to stay in the top four race with Arsenal, while Liverpool required all three points to keep up pace with Premier League leaders Manchester City. But the eventual draw means both sides have to be content with only a single point, allowing their rivals to extend their lead over them. While experts praised the resilience shown by Tottenham at Anfield, Klopp was not pleased with their approach.
After the match, Jurgen Klopp said how he could never coach the tactics that Antonio Conte adopted during the weekend draw. “Jurgen is an intelligent person, very clever. For the coach, it is not simple after the game, you have to try to keep your head cool. Sometimes it is not easy and many times if you remember this season I was disappointed with the result and myself and my players,” Conte was quoted as saying by Sky Sports ahead of their match against Arsenal on Thursday night.
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Conte added: “I have respect for Jurgen and I know he respects me a lot and this is a good chance for him and me to learn that during the game you never have to speak about your opponent. It is important to be focused on your team. He was a bit frustrated after the game but at the same time for every coach it is important to learn to be focused on your team, not the opponent. It means you want to find an excuse or an alibi because your job was wrong.”
Tottenham have a crucial top-four battle against Arsenal next in the Premier League. The Thursday night clash is an important one for Conte’s side. They need a victory to keep their top-four hopes alive. Currently, Arsenal have 66 points from 35 games, while Tottenham have 62 from the same number of matches. “We are talking about an important game,” Conte said. “Important for many different situations. First we are playing this game for an important target. For a place in the Champions League.
“This is first, to try to win this game. I also know the importance for our fans of this derby, the north London derby. This is the first time they’re playing this derby in their stadium with all the fans. We have to try to get three points against Arsenal. We are talking about a good team, a really well-organised team. Arteta is doing a really good job. He’s had the possibility to work and improve his team. In this moment of the season it has to give us a big push.”
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