Antonio Conte reveals tactical tweaks behind Brighton triumph after ‘difficult to understand’ week at Tottenham

Antonio Conte was delighted with Tottenham’s victory over Brighton and felt his players coped well with the emotion surrounding the match.

The north Londoners moved to within a point of rivals Arsenal with a 1-0 victory over the Seagulls at the Amex. Harry Kane’s first-half header was enough for Spurs to walk away with all three points. The England captain found the net on 22 minutes to move the club four points above fourth-place Chelsea.

The result left the south-coast outfit in sixth spot. And Conte believes the victory was even better considering the standard of opposition.

“It was a good performance especially in a difficult game because Brighton is a really good team,” he told BBC Sport. “The position in the table shows that they are a really good team with good players.

“We tried to play with intensity and I think the victory and the win is deserved. A great compliment to Brighton because they are a really good team.”

And the Italian tactician explained his tactics and line-up, with Richarlison left on the bench.

“We wanted to play with one more midfielder because usually we play with two strikers,” he added.

“But right now we have Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura injured. When you have to play every three days, you need to give players some rest.

“Richarlison needed some rest, it is a different intensity to Everton so that is why he was on the bench.

“There was a lot of positive things and we go away from here with a lot of confidence.”

Conte admits whole club struggling after tough week

There was a minute’s silence before the game to pay tribute to Spurs fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone who died earlier in the week.

The 61-year-old passed away on Thursday after a battle with leukaemia, with Conte visibly emotional on the sidelines.

And the former Chelsea chief revealed how his death had affected everyone at the club.

“It was a really tough week for us, not only for me – my staff and players and all the Tottenham environment,” he added. “He was a person who was in the heart of every single Tottenham person. It was really tough for us.

“Tomorrow is the funeral, we will go with the staff. It is very difficult for me to speak about the situation because it is difficult to understand what happened.

“At the end to win a game today against a really strong team like Brighton it shows that I can count not only good players but also good men.”

Conte calls on Tottenham fans to play their part

Tottenham bounced back from their North London Derby disappointment to secure a goalless draw with Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday.

They welcome the German side to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the return clash on Wednesday.

And, with Everton the visitors next weekend, the boss sees it as an opportunity for the supporters to really get behind their heroes.

“Now we have the chance to play two games in our stadium, our fortress,” he continued. “It is important for the fans to create a good atmosphere in our next game to push us until the end.”

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