La Gazzetta dello Sport named Antonio Conte ‘Coach Of The Year’ and the Tottenham boss explained the differences between Serie A and Premier League.
Conte won the Serie A title with Inter in 2020-21. He left the club at the end of the last season due to diverging opinions regarding the club’s development.
The former midfielder has explained many times how Inter’s plan changed after the COVID pandemic, convincing him to terminate his contract with the Nerazzurri by mutual agreement.
Conte was named ‘Coach Of The Year’ at the Gazzetta dello Sport Awards and released an interview from his home in London during the ceremony.
“My time at Inter was special, an amazing path with the request from President Zhang to bring Inter where they deserve to be,” he said.
“I am proud to have beaten Juventus, a club that used to dominate Serie A, we made an extraordinary job.”
Conte held talks with Tottenham in the summer but initially refused the job in North London.
However, he accepted their offer in November, after Nuno Espirito Santo’s sacking.
Spurs are still unbeaten in Premier League under Conte and are three points behind fourth-placed West Ham, but with two games in hand.
What’s the main difference between Serie A and Premier League?
“There’s a lot of tactic in Italy. Every coach is highly prepared, that’s why the intensity tends to decrease a little,” Conte said.
“In Premier League, there is intensity, but the tactical attention is not as high. Here in England, it’s easier to see one vs. one situations and moments of transition after 60 minutes, anything can happen when the teams are stretched.
“There are many duels, it’s all so nice, but sometimes you don’t feel the same pressure [as in Italy], so sometimes you risk losing the focus.”