Report: Why Antonio Conte was delighted to see Kane and others struggling in Tottenham’s pre-season drills

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Antonio Conte has been building a bit of a reputation recently at Tottenham after fans got to witness snippets of his brutal pre-season training regimes.

As has been pointed out by many a journalist and seen by snippets of video doing the rounds online, Conte put his Spurs players through their paces over in Korea as he got them ready for the new season. Notably, there were top players like Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son essentially keeling over at times, while other players were said to have been sick due to the amount of running.

But while some might see this as training to the extreme, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney has reported today how deep down, Antonio Conte and his staff loved what they were seeing, and with good intentions at heart.

“As the Tottenham Hotspur players like Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son collapsed to the ground after gruelling pre-season runs, there were smiles of relish on the faces of Antonio Conte and his staff. It wasn’t just that the squad were suffering for their benefit, although there was obviously a mischievous element. It was mostly how they were being honed, toughened,” Delaney writes in his column today.

“Such military-like training all played into Conte’s belief that his teams, as an ideal, should be “small war machines”. It was a phrase he first used in his first pre-season with Chelsea back in 2016, before their first title. It is also something that Spurs are now starting to resemble, after his first pre-season at White Hart Lane. There is a belief within the team that they are ready to take on Chelsea, and take all three points. That is something that hasn’t happened much in recent history, as Conte knows too well.”

TBR’s View: Conte’s Tottenham Are Ready

They might not win the league this season. If they did, it would be the biggest of achievements. But this Tottenham side has a look and feel about it not seen for some time.

Spurs supporters are rightfully excited by the prospect of what Conte will bring. They saw on the opening day a team full energy, precision, and ruthlessness. That will stand them in good stead for the season, and Conte will be delighted.

Tottenham might be training hard under Conte. But in the end, it will be worth it, with the club in with a real chance of claiming some silverware this term.