Chris Wilder reveals thoughts on Tottenham boss Antonio Conte as Middlesbrough look to repeat Manchester United FA Cup upset

Chris Wilder says it would be an incredible achievement for Middlesbrough to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup as they look to cause another upset, this time against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham.
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Boro won on penalties at Manchester United in the last round and had been in fine form prior to Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Barnsley.

And despite Spurs’ struggles in recent weeks, Wilder knows what a tough test it will be against Conte, who often sets his side up with a similar back three and wing-backs system.

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“I said to him one awards evening that he was copying us,” joked Wilder when asked about the Italian. “I’m not so sure about that.

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder.Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder.
Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder.

“He’s a world class manager, you just look at his record. Whatever he does in the press, whatever a manager wants to do, needs to do or has to do, or wants to do, one thing you see from the Spurs manager is that he has an incredible passion to help his team and help his football club.

“Everybody goes about it in different ways and his record speaks for itself.”

On what it would mean for Boro, Wilder added: “It would be an incredible achievement.

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“Obviously we understand, as we did when we went to Old Trafford, a lot of things have to go for us and we have to be at our absolute best to give ourselves an opportunity.

“We certainly have to be better than what we were in the first 15 minutes on Saturday.”

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