Conte shares what he told Tottenham players for first time on Sunday

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Antonio Conte has shared that he asked his Tottenham Hotspur players to go out and enjoy themselves for the first time ahead of their clash with West Ham on Sunday, insisting that they are now ready to express themselves.

Spurs have kept the pressure on Arsenal heading into the final stages of the campaign. Tottenham have moved themselves up to fifth in the Premier League table. And they are three points adrift of the Gunners with a North London derby still to come this term.

The latest victory also saw Tottenham deal a massive blow to the top-four hopes of another rival. West Ham were beaten 3-1 at the weekend, with Son Heung-min scoring twice.

The Hammers threatened to produce another superb comeback at the ground with Said Benrahma making the score 2-1 just before half-time. But ultimately, Tottenham were too good for the visitors.

Harry Kane set up all three goals. And Rodrigo Bentancur produced another fantastic display following his switch during the January transfer window.

Conte was clearly overjoyed when Tottenham put the game beyond doubt. And he has now shared that he took a different approach to his pre-match team talk.

“Today before the game for the first time I ask to my players I want to enjoy today, to see you play football, because I know now that the team is ready,” he said.

“It’s ready to play good football and we have the right time to memorise many tactical situations.

“We have to go better and better, but for me it’s important because you can have a training session in different ways, but the players have to see that the training session improves our performances.

“What happens here is the coach is happy because the players trust you not just 100% but 120%.”

Conte starting to stamp his mark on his Tottenham side

It has not been easy for Conte since his arrival. Sunday marked the first time Tottenham have won back-to-back games since the turn of the year.

But they have certainly been moving in the right direction. And there have definitely been glimpses of what Conte wants from his Tottenham side.

It appears to have moved several steps forward in recent weeks. Conte clearly felt that he was able to let them play with complete freedom for what could be a pivotal game for Tottenham this season.