Tottenham Head Coach Antonio Conte has admitted that qualifying for the Champions League in England is as difficult as winning the title in another country.
Spurs can reduce the gap to fourth-placed Arsenal to a point with a win in Thurday’s crunch north London derby, but the Gunners would seal Champions League football at the home of their rivals with a famous victory.
Conte has repeatedly emphasised the difficulty of finishing ahead of what he sees as an established big four in Liverpool, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs, previously saying it would take “a miracle” for Spurs to make the top four.
And ahead of the north London showdown, Conte, who won the league title with Chelsea in 2017 and has won five Scudettos with Juventus and Inter Milan, said it would be a major achievement for whichever of Spurs or Arsenal finish fourth.
“To take a place in the Champions League in England is very, very difficult and this season [Manchester] United missed qualification,” Conte told Standard Sport. “Otherwise, in my mind, you start with the four teams at the top. At the start, the race for the Champions League seems close, four teams – City, Liverpool, United and Chelsea.
“Then during the season, someone can be in trouble and you have to be ready to stay there. It happened this season. We are trying with Arsenal to find a position in the Champions League but in England, it’s like winning a title in another country. It is a big achievement.”
