Report: What Italian journalists did to Antonio Conte after his Tottenham press conference finished

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Italian journalists were clearly very excited to have Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte back in the country yesterday.

A report from Football London has relayed how they reacted to his press conference ahead of Spurs’s Champions League tie tonight.

The attention over the past few days has been on whether Tottenham can bounce back from Saturday’s defeat.

Antonio Conte’s side were woeful as they lost 4-1 to Leicester City, after such a promising victory over Manchester City the week before.

The result was unfortunate, but the season-ending injury to Rodrigo Bentancur was the biggest blow.

Conte confirmed during his press conference, which was dominated by the Italian journalists, who would replace him for Tottenham.

Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr are set to start tomorrow in the middle of the pitch.

It’s a huge call, with both players incredibly inexperienced when it comes to the Champions League.

He’s been left with little choice, with Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Yves Bissouma all unavailable.

Italian journalists react to Tottenham manager Conte’s press conference

The Football London report from Alasdair Gold highlights just how popular Conte is in his native land.

‘Then suddenly and unexpectedly the press conference was over,’ Gold writes.

‘The Italians journalists, many of them experienced, senior reporters, swarmed over to Conte, hugging the Tottenham boss and asking for selfies with him.

‘He was happy to oblige, back in his San Siro home and among faces he knew well from across the decades.’

Conte’s clearly incredibly well-respected in Italy, which is no surprise given his success at the San Siro.

The 53-year-old won Serie A while Inter manager, and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

His five major honours with Juventus are also very fondly remembered in Turin.

He’s yet to add to his trophy cabinet since becoming Spurs boss, and has a mixed record in Europe.

The response Conte got from the Italian journalists yesterday is unlike anything he’s likely to receive at Tottenham.

There will be plenty of Spurs fans clamouring for selfies and embraces if he manages to mastermind a victory tonight.