Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte criticised the lack of transparency from owners and staff in English football ahead of Spurs' clash against Manchester City.

The Lilywhites have only won one of four Premier League games since the season's resumption and head to The Etihad off the back of a 0-2 defeat against rivals Arsenal.

Conte was keen to suggest questions on the North London club's long-term plan could not be answered by him, implying it should be down to sporting director Fabio Paratici or chairman Daniel Levy.

Ahead of the tie, Conte spoke to the press about Tottenham's team news,  as well as his opponents, critics, his tough season and Spurs' owners.

The Italian had good news for Spurs fans, as he confirmed midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur could be fit to play against The Citizens.

The Uruguayan had been injured in the World Cup after playing a key role for Tottenham before the tournament, scoring twice in their 4-3 win against Leeds before the break. 

"Like I said after the game against Arsenal, Rodrigo Bentancur trained with us and he's available, he could be available for the game against City."

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Conte was also full of praise for the reigning Premier League champions ahead of their meeting.

Spurs secured an unlikely 2-3 win in a thriller in the blue half of Manchester last season, which Harry Kane won with a header in added time.

The 53-year-old said his side would need a bit of luck and to be efficient with the ball if they are to win on Thursday night.

He also justified his decision to sit his defenders quite deep into their own half in recent matches by suggesting some of his backline would not be comfortable playing with a high line.

“To win against Manchester City you have to not make mistakes, because you know the ball possession will be 70 to 75% to them and you will have 25 or 30% of the ball.

“You have to be very good to move the ball well to create chances to score, you know you are playing against the best team in the world in this moment.

"Last season we were good and we showed great resilience [to beat them].

“You also need a bit of luck against this type of team.

“If you press high, you leave a lot of space behind your back.

"If you have a player like [Bukayo] Saka, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Riyad] Mahrez or [Phil] Foden, then the risk of conceding a goal is very very high.

"You then have to then consider the characteristics of your defenders, can you stay very high and defend with 50 metres behind us?

"Or, is it better for the characteristic of the player to stay a bit lower to cover more space and not be stupid to be so open and to give the opportunity to your opponent to kill you."

  • On the lack of transparency from Tottenham's hierarchy

Conte lamented the fact that he was forced to answer tough questions on Tottenham's future, stating that he did not know what was being planned at the top of the club.

He suggested that more senior officials were involved in giving messages to the press, which he claimed is not common enough in English football.

“In England I think there is a bad habit that there is only the coach here to speak and to explain [goings on at the club].

“I have never seen the medical staff come here to explain why a player is having difficulty recovering.

“It’s also the same with the club, I have never seen the club or the sporting director explain the strategy and the vision of the club.

“In Italy, before every game there is a person from the club that goes to the media and has to answer many questions.

“For us that could be much better, because there is only one face to explain the situation that I think maybe it is better for the club to come here to explain.

“If only the coach speaks, sometimes there are misunderstandings and instead it could be good to have the club present in the media to speak, not every week but at least every 15 days or once a month.

“It’s difficult, because everything that you try to say could be [seen as] a criticism or wrong or negative and this is not the truth.”

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  • On Tottenham's critics

It has been a tough time for The Lilywhites, who sit outside the Champions League spots with rivals Arsenal pulling clear in the race to win the title.

Conte was not concerned by the dressing room atmosphere at the club, and said he was not sure why his side were facing backlash from fans.

“We are working really hard every day for this club, if there is criticism, we have to accept it. It is difficult to understand why there is criticism.

“If it’s only the mentality [causing the problems] I think we can solve the situation because believe me the mentality of the team is very strong.

"Usually when you lose a game the opponent can be shown to be stronger than you, but it can happen, like in the game against Arsenal, where the goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch and we lost.

"In my opinion the performance was good and the game against Crystal Palace we won and the performance was good.

“If someone is not happy, I can tell them we are doing the maximum and doing our best.”

He also backed his own ability to turn the tide at the club, and suggested any decision to remove him from his post at Spurs may not fare well for the North Londoners.

“First of all I don’t read and hear this [about his lack of commitment to Tottenham].

“I can be not a good coach, but with what I give clubs I have worked at, no club has been unhappy about my commitment.

“Usually when I leave the club they regret me [leaving] a lot because they knew the way that I work and what I give for the club.

“I work a lot for this club, I give everything."

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  • On his difficult season

It has been a tough campaign on and off the field for the Italian.

Living away from his family, who are still in their home country, has become harder according to Conte, who has suffered the loss of three close friends during the season.

Gian Piero Ventrone, Tottenham's former fitness coach, died in October, and friends Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli have also passed away in recent weeks.

The former Juventus and Chelsea manager said the losses had given him some perspective and made him consider his own future.

“This season has been a difficult season personally, to lose three people that I knew very well in such a short time, Gian Piero [Ventrone], then Sinisa [Mihajlovic]  and now Gianluca [Viall] was not simple.

“Many times we think and we give a lot of importance to our work and we forget the family, we forget we may need more time for us.

“This season has been difficult for me personally and is making me have an important reflection on my future.

“When you work, the work is at the top of your mind and your head, many times we forget to stay with family and friends.

"But, this is our passion, and [because of] the passion we lose a lot of things, when this type of situation happens, you think sometimes it is good to try and give more time to the family.

“Work is not everything in life.

“I have a family that try to support me and come here in every moment that they can, this type of situation becomes more difficult when things like this happen.”

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