Conte 'dreaming of Champions League' but urges 'reality' at Tottenham in top four race

A 4-2 defeat to Manchester City on Thursday night means Spurs have won just one of five Premier League fixtures since the return of action following the World Cup.

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As a result, Conte's side currently find themselves fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-place Newcastle having played a game more.

Tottenham are still very much in the hunt for a top four finish, but their patchy form is certainly a concern given the wealth of competition for those Champions League places.

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With Spurs still competing in both the FA Cup and Champions League this term, Conte believes his side are feeling the effects of a jam-packed fixture list - something the Italian acknowledges wasn't an issue last term.

Speaking to the media on Friday about Tottenham's top four hopes, Conte said ahead of Monday's league clash with Fulham: "To stay in the top four as one team with Man City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, means that two teams stay out.

"There are other teams who are growing in an incredible way like Newcastle and I say this because last season we made a fantastic achievement but we could focus only on the league and with no injuries.

"This season, we've started to face four competitions and the Champions League costs you a lot of energy, if you understand, because you have to make rotations and it's the same for the Premier League and this situation compared to last season is different.

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"We tried to improve the squad this summer, but this is only the start because if you think that to send away players and to bring in other players, it isn't so simple to be competitive. I can tell you, no, we need time and patience.

"The only situation we are doing is the work. We continue to work with the players but this is not the only way.

"We want to be realistic, but at the same time, in myself I dream of playing Champions League.

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"There are 18 games in the Premier League and another competition like the FA Cup and in our mind we need to dream of something important, but at the same time, to be realistic.

"If we are realistic, I think that we are not stupid and we understand that we have to do something more if the dream is to become a reality."

Their Monday evening clash against Fulham is more crucial to Spurs' top four hopes than fans would usually have thought, with the Cottagers knocking on the door right behind them in sixth place.

During the press conference, Conte was asked how his team turn their attention to Fulham so quickly after the madness of the second-half against City, which saw Spurs collapse from 2-0 up to lose 4-2.

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"You have to build the game against Fulham and to keep in consideration the first half," he replied.

"Then to give consideration to the second half and you have to take the positive situation and the negative situation.

"Also I watched the game in the second half but they shot four times and they score four times. They didn't dominate the game or we suffered to stay behind and a lot of chances for them.

"The game yesterday was really, really balanced. When we were 2-2, we had a massive, massive chance to go 3-2 and I think also it could be different the situation.

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"I have to analyse the situation. In the last two games we played against the first and second. In my opinion we show we can play and get good result but at same time there is a lot of situations that we have to improve otherwise you don't lose both games.

"Against Arsenal in my opinion if we watch the final result, we are talking about a loss 2-0 but then at the end you see their goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch.

"Yes they created difficulty and the coach said they were lucky, but this is not enough to be considered a top team, and for this reason we have to build on the positivity of the situation of these two games, but to understand we have to find again something that last season we had.

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"I don't know why, for one reason or another, this season we maybe lost. We lost something because a team like Tottenham in the last ten [league]games we conceded 21 goals.

"This is not possible for a club that wants to stay there, to try to fight and to be competitive."

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