Antonio Conte will return to Tottenham on Sunday with stand-in boss Cristian Stellini warning their attempts to instil a winning mentality at the club have been hindered by problems deeply rooted in the past.
‘It came from a long time ago, not just this season,’ said Stellini as he addressed the dismal nature of the FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield United on Wednesday, which he blamed on attitude, and lack of hunger.
‘Every season, sometimes it’s better and sometimes lower, but every season it is similar so it’s a problem that Tottenham is out in the fifth round of the FA Cup. We have to change this. We want to change this.
‘When we speak to each other. We speak about this and if we want, in the future, we can have this.’
Spurs have not won a trophy for almost 15 years and have lost in the FA Cup fifth round in four of the last five years, knocked out by teams from the Championship in the last two.
Tottenham lack the hunger to win trophies, according to assistant manager Cristian Stellini
Stellini said the change in mentality has to come from the players after losing to Sheffield United in the FA Cup
‘Sometimes I feel we speak too much about trophies and less about the mentality,’ said Stellini. ‘This is the difficult thing. You have to find this hunger inside of you, inside the dressing room, inside the players, inside the staff, inside the club.
‘Everyone participates to create this kind of atmosphere, to feel how important it is to win games, to win every game.
‘The mentality we showed in the last game is the reality. The approach was not good, not the mentality we need.
‘What happened is in the past. Done, finished. I’m not here to analyse what happened in the last 10 years. I’m here to analyse what happens from now into the future. We need to change this.’
Tottenham are back in Premier League action at Wolves on Saturday. Conte will address the players by video link from Italy, a routine established since he has been recuperating from surgery to remove his gallbladder on February 1.
Spurs travel to Wolves on Saturday looking to bounce back after a humbling FA Cup exit
He will fly back to London and is expected at the training ground on Sunday to prepare for the second leg of the Champions League tie against AC Milan, on Wednesday. Spurs lost 1-0 in Milan.
‘He feels better,’ said Stellini. ‘He feels like he’s in charge. He feels ready to come back. He cannot wait to come back. His frustration is huge.
‘The medical department decided the time schedule and they asked Antonio to come back on Sunday.
‘He wants to respect the decision because when you have a health problem we are not doctors.’