Why Tottenham ultimately pulled the trigger on Conte's time at the club

 

For the fourth season running, Tottenham will go through a campaign without the same manager at the helm. Over a week had gone by since Antonio Conte's post-match rant in the 3-3 draw with Southampton, essentially a come and sack me plea, before Spurs pulled the trigger on Sunday night. Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason take charge for the final 10 games of the campaign with a top-four finish the aim. 

 

Even prior to Conte's post-match comments, the Italian was unlikely to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium helm beyond the summer with relationships between the Italian and the club strained beyond repair. The 3-3 capitulation at St. Mary's was the straw that broke the camel's back. What is telling, though, is that Conte was not wrong with his comments in the wake of the stalemate. To, in short, say 'Lads, it's Tottenham' while Tottenham boss, though, was a big no-no. 

 

And even with the ongoing issues that have plagued the club since finishing second in 2016/17, fact is Conte has made matters worse in north London. This season was one that was supposed to inspire hope at the club. Spurs finished the 2021/22 campaign strongly, pipping rivals Arsenal to a top-four finish that provided a necessary foundation to build upon to launch a sustained assault for silverware. 

 

Spurs invested heavily in the summer market, spending big on Richarlison, bolstering the midfield with Yves Bissouma, and, crucially, adding strength in depth to a squad that was, for a very brief period, competing on four fronts. Yes, the centre-back they craved - Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol - were unattainable, but Clement Lenglet was a shrewd addition from Barcelona. The Frenchman wasn't Mr Right, but rather Mr Right Now and was a left-footed centre-back that Conte craved in his three-man backline. 

 

Yet part of his undoing was the stubbornness that saw him remain loyal to a 3-4-3 setup that meant a midfield that wasn't built to play in such a system was, routinely, overrun. This, in turn, invited pressure upon a Spurs defence that has shown no signs in the past that they can deal with the sustained pressure to repel attack after attack. Unsurprisingly, the backline routinely crumbled as Conte's reactive and at times pragmatic approach struggled to reap the benefits. 

 

 

Under Conte this season, Spurs were conceding 13.6 shots per game, the same number as Leeds and more than relegation threatened trio Crystal Palace (13.3), Southampton (12.6) and West Ham (12). It was an unsustainable style of play and with Hugo Lloris on the decline, the Frenchman was unable to bail the club out as often as he once did. As one might expect, it meant Spurs frequently shipped goals, 40 to be exact in the Premier League this season, the same number as their upcoming opponents, Everton, and the most of all sides inside the top 10. 

 

The appointment of a manager of Conte's ilk was also supposed to see them shake the 'Spursy' tag, but Spurs look just as Spursy as ever. No team has committed more errors leading to an opposition goal than Spurs (7) in the Premier League this season, four of which have been by number one Lloris, that return more than any other player. Again, this stems back to Conte failing to straighten up a weak defence and while Spurs may have failed to add his desired targets last summer, he is paid to coach and improve the squad. A good workman never blames his tools, let alone down them as the Italian seemingly did. 

 

Of course, there are other mitigating factors at play that impacted Spurs this season, notably matters off the field that emotionally affected Conte. He lost coach and close friend Gian Piero Ventrone in October, while Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli sadly passed away in December and January. Coupled with surgery to remove his gallbladder earlier in the year, and it has been a testing few months for Conte. 

 

For the club and supporters, what is most disappointing though is that this is another missed opportunity by Spurs. Since Mauricio Pochettino spoke of a rebuild back in 2019 - "When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture" - the club have lurched from crisis to crisis following the Argentine's sacking in November that year. Conte may not have been the perfect appointment by chairman Daniel Levy - the two have alternate visions on how best to run a club - yet the Italian was the eye-catching capture to guide Spurs out of the short-term mire. If anything, Spurs look as lost as ever. 

 

Attention focusses on yet another phase in this Spurs rebuild and who the club turns to next. They can ill-afford another botched appointment process that eventually saw them plump for Nuno Espirito Santo back in 2021 having sacked Mourinho around this time two years ago, give or take three weeks. Pochettino has been linked with an emotional return to Spurs, one that would get the fans back onside at least, but little has changed following his sacking back in 2019. 

 

Former Spain boss Luis Enrique is another on the club's radar, but the favourite is Julian Nagelsmann after his Bayern Munich exit last week. The German has twice been approached by Spurs in the past, and they'll be hoping that third time is the charm. After yet another failed appointment, though, Levy needs to get the next one right. Having tried and failed with the serial winner method, it's key Spurs go back to what they know best, which is building slowly and backing a manager in the long run rather than seek an immediate fix to compete with the best in the league.

Why Tottenham ultimately pulled the trigger on Conte's time at the club