Antonio Conte gave an emotional description of Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone’s final days and his pride in how the players are dealing with it. ‘No-one could’ve expected this situation.’
Ventrone had been diagnosed with leukaemia, but was still working at the Spurs training ground and the 62-year-old returned home to Italy during the break for international duty.
His condition took a sudden and rapid deterioration, until he passed away this week.
Conte wiped away tears in the pre-match tribute to Ventrone, who he’d known since his days as a player at Marcello Lippi’s Juventus, and in the press conference revealed just how sudden it all was.
“I have to be honest, it was really, really difficult for us to be here and to focus on the game because what happened in the last three days was incredible, was incredible,” said Conte.
“I knew that the situation was really problematic after the game against Frankfurt, but no one could have expected this situation because no one knew something of this illness.
“It was an illness but under control and then it is very difficult because the situation hit me a lot in the emotional aspect. When it happens it is very difficult to cover your feelings with the players and with the people that work in Tottenham.
“At the same time I have seen a lot of solidarity. The players were really devastated by the pain and the whole Tottenham environment, the feeling was really bad because in only 10 months I think Gian Piero got through to the heart of everybody.”
Ventrone was known as ‘The Marine’ during his time at Juventus under Lippi and then working with Conte for his high-intensity training regime.
The players had already grown very attached to him and were visibly moved when dedicating the win over Brighton to the ‘Prof’.
“I spoke with him last week on Thursday, the last time when I arrived at training ground he wanted to speak to me and asked me if he could stay at home because he has a bit of a fever,” revealed Conte.
“It was incredible because he was really worried to miss the training and I said Gian Piero when we are talking about your health, in that moment he spoke to me about his illness and when it is health you have to take the right check and don’t worry, but his first problem was to miss the training.
“For this reason I think he was in the hearts of every single player and my players were really devastated by the pain but the life sometimes, you know it happen many situation not only to us. Life sometimes is not good.
“At the same time you have to cope with the situation in the best possible way, And then I am sure Gian Piero will stay with us forever. I am sure about this.
“Tomorrow is the funeral. We are going with the staff. I want to give big hugs to them, to tell his son and daughter that they need to be strong because Gian Piero was strong, a strong character. He doesn’t want to see us unhappy. It’s difficult to make him happy because we are really devastated by the pain.”
Conte admits it made preparing for this Premier League game incredibly difficult, but the experience has brought him closer to his squad.
“Many times we tried to find the motivation to push these players and to create a situation and to increase the tension. Today honestly I did nothing under this aspect. I left them to face the situation and they showed me to be really good people, top men.
“I said to them just now that I’m proud to be the coach of this team because first of all we have top men and really good players.”