Antonio Conte: Premier League meeting was a waste of time
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte (Adam Davy/PA)
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has described Thursday’s meeting between the Premier League and all 20 top-flight bosses as a waste of time and likened the league’s governing body to a brick wall.
Rising Covid-19 cases in England’s top-flight saw all managers and head coaches come together for a virtual meeting with the division to discuss the ongoing situation in addition to the congested fixture list and other key issues.
Numerous matches have already been postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks and managers have repeatedly highlighted a lack of player welfare, including Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola suggesting a players’ strike may be the only way to draw attention to it.
But the online chat proved pointless for Conte, who said: “If I have to be honest, it was a meeting that we tried to speak and some coaches tried to speak, to ask about solutions but I think everything was decided.
“I think yesterday it was a wall and for this reason I also prefer to not go into it.”
Asked if it was a waste of time, the Italian added: “I think so. Because when you have a wall in front of you, you can speak and ask what you want but every decision was (already) taken.”
Spurs, who have just returned from an enforced two-week break due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the club, are set to host Crystal Palace on Sunday before they visit Southampton on Tuesday.
Conte admits rotation will be key, adding: “It is not easy for us, it is not easy for all the teams to play after only one day is not simple.
“You have to manage the situation very well because the risk to lose players for injuries, so we have to pay great attention, especially my team.
“Don’t forget we had half our squad with Covid and in previous press conferences I said that when you take Covid, then you have to live with this situation for two to three weeks after you finished with Covid.
If I have to be honest, it was a meeting that we tried to speak and some coaches tried to speak, to ask about solutions but I think everything was decided
Antonio Conte
“We have to try to manage the situation very well because for sure physically the players with Covid (previously) are not 100 per cent fit.”
Norwich head coach Dean Smith feels it is “lunacy” to expect teams to play two games in 48 hours.
The Canaries’ Premier League match at West Ham was called off last weekend because of the ongoing Covid-19 issues, with just four of the scheduled 10 top-flight games able to be played as scheduled.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Norwich are set to host Arsenal on Sunday, and then play Crystal Palace on December 28.
Smith, though, believes that is an unreasonable expectation.
“We have some fresh cases, but we have got others coming back. We are not sure how many will miss Boxing Day,” he said.
“We are having to push rehab forward and people are breaking down in rehab because of that, it is asking massive questions of everybody’s squads at the moment.
“It is lunacy that we are having to play two games in 48 hours and there has got to be a question about the integrity of the competition when teams are playing weakened teams against other teams and it is affecting league positions.”
Today's Headlines
Unlucky Bud | Gardaí arrest driver with cannabis worth €180K inside van in Roscommon
'significant improvement' | Recommended arrival time at Dublin Airport reduced amid security queues ‘improvement’
Thick Tok | Busáras intruders caught after one live-streamed break-in on TikTok
Lights out | ESB crews restoring power to thousands of customers as thunderstorm alert extended
'Beyond lucky' | Ailbhe Garrihy reveals she’s expecting her second child
'I'm Audi here' | Mystery as wrecked high-end Audi car left abandoned on Dublin street
'Unprovoked assault' | Two men charged with violent disorder and assault after death of Paul ‘Babs’ Connolly
Fatal crash | Male passenger (30s) dies after car hits tree in Co Wexford
'Terrible tragedy' | Clare lake victim (49) is remembered as ‘lovely man’
'Hazardous' | Met Éireann warns of ‘intense thunderstorms with flood risk’ as new alert issued