Antonio Conte reveals he disobeyed doctor’s orders to be on the Tottenham Hotspur touchline after surgery, credits Stefano Pioli with an ‘extraordinary achievement’ and expects ‘strong emotions’ in the Champions League at San Siro.
The first leg of the Round of 16 kicks off at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT.
It is only 11 days since Conte had surgery to remove his gallbladder after suffering from strong abdominal pains, and he admits he should still be resting.
“The medics told me to stay calm in the first 15 days, he asked me not to return, but my sense of responsibility and duty to be close to the team made me rush it a little. I am dealing with it well, but I definitely cannot make my voice heard the way I would like to the players during games,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
It is not just a return to Italy, but also to San Siro, where Conte won the Scudetto at Inter.
“These are always wonderful emotions. I return home, Italy is my home and it is always great to be here. Plus to be back at San Siro after 21 months, with two marvellous seasons at Inter and what we all shared together, this does give me strong emotions.”
Pioli revealed that Conte was one of the few colleagues who called him up personally to congratulate him on winning the first Serie A title of his career last year.
“Stefano is a coach who has been working for a long time and in my view deserved this success a lot earlier in his career. Achieving it with Milan saw him crown a journey at a club with such history. Pioli, the players and directors deserve credit for what was an extraordinary achievement last season, so the least I could do was congratulate them.”
If Milan have injury problems this season, then Tottenham are not doing much better, especially after former Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur saw his season ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“In the last week, we had another two serious injuries, Rodrigo tore his ligament, Bissouma has a stress fracture in his ankle. We know this is a difficult moment for us, but this is why we must try to be even more united and overcome the difficulties.”
Seeing as the game is played on Valentine’s Day, Conte was asked if he has fallen in love with England yet in this second stint.
“This is my second experience in England after Chelsea, and I only ever really lived in London, there is an incredible atmosphere in the stadium. It’s a celebration of football, so in that sense it makes you fall in love.
“However, you never forget your first love and Italy will always be first.”