'He came back too early' - Cristian Stellini says Tottenham players are stepping up in Antonio Conte's absence

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has acknowledged he returned to the touchline too soon after surgery, says his assistant Cristian Stellini, but the players are taking added responsibility in the Italian’s absence. Conte underwent an operation to remove his gallbladder earlier this month, but was back in the dugout for Spurs’ 1-0 Champions League defeat to AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday. Ad However, the club said following the match that the 53-year-old would “remain at his family home to recover from his recent surgery” after he had defied the doctor’s orders to go back to work.

Europa LeagueInter boss Antonio Conte: 'No bitterness over Europa League final loss'21/08/2020 AT 22:07 Stellini will now take charge of the north London club in the interim, his first task being a home clash with West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. «Antonio is recovering and is a bit upset because he cannot be here with us. But he's fine, physically.

We understand he needs to recover from the surgery and now he needs to take his time,” Stellini told Sky Sports. »We don't know if the pain [he felt during the AC Milan game] came from stress or the small time he took to recover because to stay in charge and live football like Antonio does normally is with passion and maybe this passion brought more pain for him. He understands that he came back too early.

Conte won't return to Spurs until 'entire recovery' after surgery 'Trust in them justified' – Conte praises Skipp and Sarr after Milan loss «He is available. We speak about the team and training every day and some decisions we will take together. »But this time is good only for his recovery because when Antonio is far from his job, he's not happy.