Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte said his team deserved to compete for a place in the Premier League after their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday and preserve their chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Tottenham are one point behind London neighbors Arsenal, who are fourth in the last three rounds of the season, but Arsenal, led by Spanish coach Mikel Arteta, can consolidate their lead and tighten their grip on fourth place with a victory over struggling Leeds United later on Sunday.
In the next round, Tottenham and Arsenal will meet in a match that may decide the results of the two teams’ rankings to a large extent next Thursday.
“We still have three games and four games against Arsenal,” Conte told reporters. “It’s not easy for us and it’s not easy for Arsenal.
“We deserve to stay in this race because I think in November not many expected that Tottenham would be able to fight to the end for a place in the Champions League. Now we are in this race and deservedly so.”
Conte took over as Tottenham coach, succeeding Nuno Espirito Santo last year, when the team was in ninth place, before the performance improved significantly, defensively and offensively, under his leadership.
“We have an important game on Thursday. It’s a big game in north London against Arsenal, our rival in this race. It is a pivotal match and I would like to try to get its three points because it will be very important in deciding the Champions League qualification race,” Conte added.