Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Flobadob]

Also, lessons at Arsenal.

Arteta wanted to make Aubameyang captain. It didn't work out but he wasn't fired.

Arteta wanted to keep Saliba away from the team and get mature. Arsenal struggled in the meantime and Arteta wasn't fired.

Arteta spent 50m on Partey but didn't see much of a change immediately in performances. He wasn't fired and was allowed to keep spending.

Arteta wanted to get rid of Aubameyang depsite making him captain and despite the lack of goals. Form suffered yet he still wasn't fired.

The message here is clear. They back him no matter what. It gives confidence to the coach that he is in total control and can build a dressing room devoted to him.

Conte should be allowed to make some mistakes along the way and we should put up with poor performances or spells in games until he's got pretty much everything the way he wants it.

If the club are in doubt or don't wish to stretch that far, then there's zero point continuing.

I think from our starting 11 we have Kane, Son, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Romero and Lloris by default as a goalkeeper is pretty much of muchness in most systems that are highly compatible with the system Conte plays and are high quality players. We really aren’t far away we just have 3 players constantly in our starting 11 that are either not of the required standard (Dier, Davies) or completely incompatible with the system (Royal). I really feel like if we don’t back Conte here we are making a huge mistake. We don’t even need to change the squad that much to get what Conte needs in terms of personnel

 

[DenverSpur]

He is a world class player. We've all seen it. None of the players are reaching their potential, because we haven't had a competent manager in nearly 4 years now.

So your solution to this problem is to sack yet another manager before he has had time to build a team to his specifications? How long did it take Klopp to revitalize Liverpool? How long, and how much money, has Arteta been given? Even Ferguson struggled in his first few years at ManU until he got the players he wanted.
We either have to back the manager with time and money or we have a DofF pick the players and appoint a coach to get the best out of them. A policy than tends to become a revolving door with limited success as managers/coaches need the players that best fit their system of play.
What we can’t do is keep sacking mangers before they’ve hardly got their feet under the table because the fans are unhappy. Every new appointment needs time and patience, and financial backing, in order to truly judge whether they will be successful or not. Conte hasn’t had that yet.

 

[littlewilly]

I wish my misses shared your thought ?

Me too.

 

[spurs9]

I just read that in the 6 seasons since we signed Davinson Sanchez - who has been an unequivocal failure - we've signed 2 centre backs. And one of them was Joe Rodon. So basically in replacing Vertonghen and Alderweireld we have signed Cristian Romero.

How can we possibly expect to have a serious football team? How can you judge any manager under these conditions?

We signed Sanchez 5 years ago not 6. Also, we have also signed Foyth and Lenglet (albeit on loan) in addition to Roden and Romero, spending 103.5m (inc Sanchez).

For context, in 2-3 of those 5 seasons we had one of the best CB pairings in the PL.

 

[Jamturk]

Also, lessons at Arsenal.

Arteta wanted to make Aubameyang captain. It didn't work out but he wasn't fired.

Arteta wanted to keep Saliba away from the team and get mature. Arsenal struggled in the meantime and Arteta wasn't fired.

Arteta spent 50m on Partey but didn't see much of a change immediately in performances. He wasn't fired and was allowed to keep spending.

Arteta wanted to get rid of Aubameyang depsite making him captain and despite the lack of goals. Form suffered yet he still wasn't fired.

The message here is clear. They back him no matter what. It gives confidence to the coach that he is in total control and can build a dressing room devoted to him.

Conte should be allowed to make some mistakes along the way and we should put up with poor performances or spells in games until he's got pretty much everything the way he wants it.

If the club are in doubt or don't wish to stretch that far, then there's zero point continuing.

1, Arteta won an FA cup in his 1st season

2, Arteta is clearly commited to the club and not interested in playing silly childish political power games with the board.

3, Arteta has always had Arsenal trying to play good football

4, Arteta has developed young players into superstars.

 

[SaiboT]

we had 4 1st team players missing and played a team who don’t lose much at home. I am not sure we need to be losing our shit so quickly

Should still easily beat a brentford team even with 11 B-players.

Typical Conte mentality right there, blame everything else but the manager/himself.

9th straight game we’re down at halftime with no goals speaks for itself.

 

[RuskyM]

I am tired of us bringing in “serial winners” and then being told they can only win if we buy a whole new squad that completely fits their specifications. Literally no other club has that freedom - even City and PSG.

Basically we have to accept that we can only play this way cos otherwise we’ll concede loads - only for us then to concede loads anyway. So we’ll play bad football but maybe one day it’ll get better - if he wants to stay, that is. Cos apparently this is another case of us having to appease and impress the manager rather than the other way round.

 

[Mattyhp]

I can’t work out based on the volume of comments if I’m now in the minority for desperately wanting Conte to stay for the long term. The guy has massively shifted the mentality of the current squad in just over 12 months, has had 2 windows (The first of which he had only been in post for 2 months) and we are averaging just under 2 points per game this season despite being “terrible.”
Is the current football perfect? Far from it, but there is still a huge job ahead in terms of upgrading the squad and I think the team in place have made a steady start in that regard. By all accounts we have an option to extend him by a year in the summer, by which time we have another window and nearly 2 seasons to see where we are under conte. Surely the club and its fans backing a manager who has consistently delivered is a better path to success than getting Poch back and praying we get the version we saw at the beginning and not the end.

 

[Mattyhp]

I am tired of us bringing in “serial winners” and then being told they can only win if we buy a whole new squad that completely fits their specifications. Literally no other club has that freedom - even City and PSG.

Basically we have to accept that we can only play this way cos otherwise we’ll concede loads - only for us then to concede loads anyway. So we’ll play bad football but maybe one day it’ll get better - if he wants to stay, that is. Cos apparently this is another case of us having to appease and impress the manager rather than the other way round.

So City spending £1.1 billion on Pep isn’t backing the manager with players they want.

 

[Ray]

Does anyone else think that Conte's perceived lack of commitment to staying might be due to his awareness of Levy's form when it comes to transfers and he (AC) would like some evidence that DL has indeed changed his spots ? We did have itk a couple of weeks ago that Levy was seemingly reverting to type, though subsequent itk suggested that things were on a more even keel.

To my mind he's shown a willingness to stay, by his comments about needing multiple windows to put together a team capable of firing on all cylinders. As has been mentioned by other posters, Ferguson, Klopp and Arteta were given time. What is it about some Spurs supporters who are not able to see that we could not currently appoint a manager with a better track record than Conte's? Give the man what he wants.

As for Brentford, has everyone forgotten that their previous result was a 2-1 win away to Man City?

 

[RuskyM]

So City spending £1.1 billion on Pep isn’t backing the manager with players they want.

They tried to sign Harry Kane for an entire summer. I'm not saying they've not given him money - I'm saying even then you can't always get 'a manager's' players. It's a hypothetical that asks you to ignore what you're seeing in favour of a future that's vague at best.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

There are so many nuances and variables being disregarded here, simply because the majority of you want to watch attractive football.

i get it, we all love that type of fast pace, dynamic football. The problem is, we don’t have the personnel to pull it off. The majority of our squad don’t have an ounce of creativity or technicality (passing) in them. The last player we had that could unlock this type of dynamism was Eriksen. Think about that for a second. Not to mention our shocking back 4 bar Romero. If we play open football I promise you we would be conceding waaaaay more than we are now.

We need to stop trying to squeeze water out of a rock.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

They tried to sign Harry Kane for an entire summer. I'm not saying they've not given him money - I'm saying even then you can't always get 'a manager's' players. It's a hypothetical that asks you to ignore what you're seeing in favour of a future that's vague at best.

If City or Pep really wanted Kane, they would have signed him. They were simply looking to see if they could get a bargain.

 

[RuskyM]

There are so many nuances and variables being disregarded here, simply because the majority of you want to watch attractive football.

i get it, we all love that type of fast pace, dynamic football. The problem is, we don’t have the personnel to pull it off. The majority of our squad don’t have an ounce of creativity or technicality (passing) in them. The last player we had that could unlock this type of dynamism was Eriksen. Think about that for a second. Not to mention our shocking back 4 bar Romero. If we play open football I promise you we would be conceding waaaaay more than we are now.

We need to stop trying to squeeze water out of a rock.

Our football has conceded more than Everton, Brighton, Palace and West Ham. It's conceded more than Man United and they were hammered 4-0 and 6-3. If this is true then it's a staggering failure of squad management.

If City or Pep really wanted Kane, they would have signed him. They were simply looking to see if they could get a bargain.

What about Alves, van Dijk, Cucurella, Messi? All clubs can miss out on players was my point: good management is adapting rather than hoping for a hypothetical better future.

 

[carpediem991]

The whole situation with AC is frustrating right now.

I personally say it is not that simple and just give Antonio the players and it will work. I really expected more development in the squad and the way of playing under Conte. He had a full summer to prepare, we have quite a few new players he can work with, and even though we lack two or three class defenders/wing backs, he needs to do better with the squad.

We were on a very decent way between March and June last season, where I thought we are about really to challenge for something this season, but since then we somehow have regressed or making a mess out of every game, as Conte can not find the words or tactics to do well in the first halves. There must be something in the approach that is totally not working and with Conte, who is so stubborn with his ideas and tactics, we see little to no change, no matter who is playing. We actually got out with decent last half hours quite a few time, but this way is just not sustainable. On top of that I think of the many set piece goals, especially thanks to the delivery of Perisic. Out of open play I often see very little threatening. And I personally think players like Kulusevski, Kane, Son or Richarlison have the ability to create more than they do, if the set up is right and they get enough support from the midfield/wing backs.

Another thing is Contes squad management. Take yesterday, he makes two out of five subs, and it is yet again two defenders. Players like Gil, Spence, White, Sarr or the whole youth set up are used to a bare minimum, no matter what happens on the pitch. I don't say they are the solution to our main problems, but how frustrating must this time be for our talents? And, the longer we give Conte time for his project, the less perspective is there for these players and the academy. Can you right now imagine throwing someone in like Liverpool Bajcetic or like we did with Bentaleb, Mason or Kane a few years back? I am not sure there is all happy faces in the dressing room but its kind of important if you want to achieve something as a team.

To sum it up, I don't want Conte gone now and think we have put ourselves in the corner to fully back him (if he wants to stay), but I am just a bit disappointed by a 15m a year manager and a bit worried, that we try something that just does not add up with the clubs DNA and is not working. Hope I am wrong and it will click pretty soon...

 

[wspur]

The whole situation with AC is frustrating right now.

I personally say it is not that simple and just give Antonio the players and it will work. I really expected more development in the squad and the way of playing under Conte. He had a full summer to prepare, we have quite a few new players he can work with, and even though we lack two or three class defenders/wing backs, he needs to do better with the squad.

We were on a very decent way between March and June last season, where I thought we are about really to challenge for something this season, but since then we somehow have regressed or making a mess out of every game, as Conte can not find the words or tactics to do well in the first halves. There must be something in the approach that is totally not working and with Conte, who is so stubborn with his ideas and tactics, we see little to no change, no matter who is playing. We actually got out with decent last half hours quite a few time, but this way is just not sustainable. On top of that I think of the many set piece goals, especially thanks to the delivery of Perisic. Out of open play I often see very little threatening. And I personally think players like Kulusevski, Kane, Son or Richarlison have the ability to create more than they do, if the set up is right and they get enough support from the midfield/wing backs.

Another thing is Contes squad management. Take yesterday, he makes two out of five subs, and it is yet again two defenders. Players like Gil, Spence, White, Sarr or the whole youth set up are used to a bare minimum, no matter what happens on the pitch. I don't say they are the solution to our main problems, but how frustrating must this time be for our talents? And, the longer we give Conte time for his project, the less perspective is there for these players and the academy. Can you right now imagine throwing someone in like Liverpool Bajcetic or like we did with Bentaleb, Mason or Kane a few years back? I am not sure there is all happy faces in the dressing room but its kind of important if you want to achieve something as a team.

To sum it up, I don't want Conte gone now and think we have put ourselves in the corner to fully back him (if he wants to stay), but I am just a bit disappointed by a 15m a year manager and a bit worried, that we try something that just does not add up with the clubs DNA and is not working. Hope I am wrong and it will click pretty soon...

Spot on. The squad management is very frustrating, there's no path for unexperienced youngsters to start or even get a chance.

 

[carpediem991]

Spot on. The squad management is very frustrating, there's no path for unexperienced youngsters to start or even get a chance.

Yes, it doesn't add up. if Conte is here just to win things now, it can not take two or three more windows to get all his players. If it is about getting ready in two or three windows, then start to integrate more talent right now and develop them into useful players.

We kind of try to force something now in expense of a healthy long term approach it feels.

 

[spurs mental]

we try something that just does not add up with the clubs DNA

This clubs DNA is not one that has the most points from losing positions in the league.

And yes, you might say we shouldn't be in those positions in the first place, but he's working hard to change the mentality as well as improve them on the ground as well.

 

[carpediem991]

This clubs DNA is not one that has the most points from losing positions in the league.

And yes, you might say we shouldn't be in those positions in the first place, but he's working hard to change the mentality as well as improve them on the ground as well.

There are definitley positive aspects too like the belief in the last half an hour and the way to fork out wins. Thats good, but still I say not sustainable (yet).

Its easy to get the most points from losing position when you are in the losing position all the time.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

Our football has conceded more than Everton, Brighton, Palace and West Ham. It's conceded more than Man United and they were hammered 4-0 and 6-3. If this is true then it's a staggering failure of squad management.


What about Alves, van Dijk, Cucurella, Messi? All clubs can miss out on players was my point: good management is adapting rather than hoping for a hypothetical better future.

But we know that the squad itself has been horribly mismanaged over the past 4-5 years. Before Paratici, our two biggest signings have been our two biggest flops. Think about that for a second, when you think about replacing Dembele and Eriksen. We never adequately replaced either Rose or Walker, who both left or fell off before Paratici. I could go on and on.

We haven’t replaced a bunch of the team that made us so incredible under Poch, and when we have the quality has been vastly inferior. This is literal common knowledge to us fans. Why we don’t think about these things, and then say Conte doesn’t need to be backed but must work with what he has is a joke.

You cannot turn a Honda into a Ferrari no matter how hard you try. It’s impossible.

Give Conte another CB that is atleast good enough to partner Romero, two wingbacks who aren’t complete dog shit and this team performs much, much better. That’s without any creativity or technicality that we need for the front 5 positions.

I really wish we could all see things as a whole and then make comments instead of the first thing that comes to mind. If you look at the bigger picture, things will get better with time. But we have to stick with a plan, and that plan is Conte.