Tottenham striker Harry Kane says he always felt confident of a top four finish under manager Antonio Conte.
Kane is convinced they can kick on under Conte.
"It was a really good finish to the season," he told the Daily Mail. "We really struggled at the start. Antonio came in and we still had ups and downs. We were training really hard. Antonio had these ideas of how he wanted us to play. We were learning that as a group and getting to know him and he was getting to know us. It took a bit of time.
"But as the season went on, physically and mentally [we improved]. To get to the Champions League, it was important just to give everyone a big boost into next season. But of course, we still have stuff to improve on."
The players had been more optimistic about making the top four than their boss appeared.
"We knew it was going to be tough. You try and take the pressure off yourselves as much as possible when you talk to the outside. You try and downplay it.
"But, privately, it was always something we spoke about. We knew that we could achieve it if we did pick up our form and played the way that we knew we could."
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