Antonio Conte believes it could take four years for him to make Chelsea as strong as he wants them to be.
The Chelsea coach believes he achieved a miracle by taking them to the Premier League title in his first season in charge last term due to the quality of the squad.
They have added only four senior players this summer so far, but have allowed many more to depart permanently and on loan.
Conte has suggested Chelsea are weaker than Sunday's opponents, London rivals Spurs, because counterpart Mauricio Pochettino has had over three years to acquire the talent he wants.
Conte explained: "For sure, last season we started to build this foundation and we won the title so it means we built something.
"But now it’s not enough, so we have to improve, to extend this basis, work together with new players.
"I think Tottenham is doing this very well. I think that Spurs started to work with Pochettino for three years and now he is into his fourth season.
"Pochettino has had the possibility to work with the same players and have the possibility every season to improve his foundations.
"For every coach it’s important to give continuity to the club because when you arrive you don’t know what you’ll find.
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"And when you understand your basis, you have to try to work step-by-step, year-by-year to improve this basis, to make this basis more solid and to build a good structure. To fight to win the title, to try to win.
"Last season we did a fantastic season because there wasn’t this foundation or basis."
When asked if it could take four years for him to build the same kind of foundations, he added: "Yeah, maybe. Maybe. To arrive and try to fight for Champions League, to try to fight to be the best in the world, you need time.”
That makes Conte's decision to not sign a contract extension in the summer all the more surprising.
The Italian was handed a pay-rise to £9.5m-a-year but the deal will expire in 2019 just as the previous one did.
But he sees no cause for alarm and said: "I still have this season and next season to work with this club. Then if we stay very well and we have the same vision, we continue. I don’t see any problems about the future.
"Now we have two years left, but if we have the same vision we can continue to work together. I think that I stay in the right club at this point of my career."
Chelsea have a record during the Roman Abramovich era of not being patient with their managers should they fail to win silverware.
Jose Mourinho has enjoyed the longest time in charge of the 10 managers hired since 2003 - he was at the helm for just over three years in his first spell at the club between 2004-7.
But Conte suggests Chelsea should accept some disappointment in the short term if it means they benefit in the long-term.
In Pictures | Chelsea vs Burnley | 12/08/2017
"Sometimes you can win and you are preparing yourself to disrupt yourself," he said. "Sometimes you don’t win but you are preparing yourself to be better.
"No-one put a gun [to] my head and [said]: “You win or you go away.”
"The only thing I can promise is work, work, work and that I will try to do my best to improve the club.
"Sometimes you can win but you are not building something positive for your future."