‘He wasn’t so convinced’: Conte says Spurs ace initially questioned new role, now ‘one of the best’

Tue 23 August 2022 20:15, UK

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has told Premier League Productions about Ivan Perisic’s transformation into “one of the best “wing-backs.

The Spurs boss was speaking on the Tactical Masterclass show, as shared on Tottenham’s and transcribed on .

Conte is well known for deploying flying wing-backs, who must act as defenders in one moment and as auxiliary strikers and wingers in the next.

He famously transformed Victor Moses into a wing-back to great effect while at Chelsea.

Likewise, Achraf Hakimi played just one season under Conte at Inter Milan, but he was an absolute revelation for the Italian.

And this was the case for Perisic too – Conte turned him into a wing-back while at the San Siro.

“Really important”

The Tottenham boss admitted that the Croatian wasn’t convinced at first, and struggled in his first season in the role.

However, Perisic eventually developed into what Conte has called “one of the best players” in the position.

“The wing-back is really important if you play with three at the back.

“They’re important because it’s no good if they are too defensive because in this position you need to have quality.

“I like to have players that in the past was a winger because in this situation they are good at one v one.

“I remember very well that when I arrived in Chelsea I started to play with a 4-2-3-1.

“But when we lost against Arsenal I decided to change. Then I discovered Victor Moses in a really fantastic way that position.

“It’s the same for Ivan Perisic. He was a winger and in my first season in Inter Milan he wasn’t so convinced about this role.

“He wasn’t 100 percent and in the first season Ivan struggled a bit. And now I think he’s one of the best players in this role.”