Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been praised by Southampton counterpart Ruben Selles ahead of their Premier League match on Saturday.
The Saints boss says his Spurs counterpart is one of the best coaches he’s seen “in the last 10 years”.
Tottenham head to Southampton in a 3pm kickoff which both teams will be desperate to win.
Both Newcastle United and Liverpool are snapping at Spurs’ heels for fourth place and have games in hand.
Therefore, Tottenham must look to pull away and put the pressure on the Magpies and the Reds.
Meanwhile, the Saints sit bottom of the table, though just two points separate them from safety.
‘The biggest respect’
Selles shared the touchline with Conte during his time as an assistant at Qarabag and isn’t fazed about coming up against him again.
“I have big respect for Antonio,” the Southampton boss said, as per The Independent.
“He fought his way to the top and had time in the Italian national team. I met him a couple of times when they played in Baku.
“Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea and now Tottenham, it is always an identity, always solid and always difficult to beat.
“He has been one of the top coaches in the last 10 years and it will be my pleasure to play against him and try to beat him, but with the biggest respect always.
“We met when we played (against Chelsea) with Qarabag when we played them in the Champions League. We met after the game and had a good chat so we met a couple of times.
“For me it was a pleasure in that moment and it is a pleasure now to stand in front of them and do my very best to beat them.”
Tottenham have had an up-and-down season but go into this game on the back of a solid win last time out.
Spurs beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 last week and, now they’re out of all cup competitions, can focus fully on the league.
Meanwhile, Southampton have a difficult job on their hands against Tottenham, but they must not be underestimated.
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