Antonio Conte went and said it.
Guarded for so long despite matches-in-hand, the Tottenham Hotspur boss now sees a top-four place as a realistic possibility if his team finds consistency in the mentality and performance that allowed them to beat West Ham 2-1 in North London on Sunday.
[ MORE: Three things we learned from Spurs vs West Ham ]
“For sure to be a strong team you have to be stable and get continuity in the side,” Conte said on the USA Network after the game. “Also we have the ambition to try and stay in the race for fourth place. Before I arrived, the target seemed very difficult and now I think after four months, we are working and we know that in every game we’re in it to fight to try to get three points. We want to stay in this race. It’s very difficult but we’re playing the way that I like.”
Conte got two goals from Heung-min Son, both set up by Harry Kane, and the duo also combined to force West Ham into a game-opening own goal.
And while Conte, like all Spurs fans, knows Tottenham should’ve put the game to bed far before the 85th minute, he’s happy with the mental response and toughness of his players.
“We lost two games at home that killed us at that moment but also it was the right moment to go stronger and work harder and continue to make improvement in many aspects. Because this thing is going in the mentality. You need that to control the game and it’s important.”
Then there’s Son, whose 13 goals are second in the Premier League to Mohamed Salah’s 20 and one more than strike partner Kane.
Son, of course, is thinking about his No. 10.
“I just make the runs as an option for Kane,” Son said. “If he doesn’t pass me the ball he might have the space to pass to someone else or to shoot. ... It’s incredible to have this striker next to me. I feel really sorry for him today that he didn’t score. He looked sad. I feel sad for him as a striker, you want to score everything.”
