Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[nigespurs]

Someone has said in one of my chats he has resigned but can't see anything so most likely nonsense.

Press conference is at 12:30 today, Tuesday, so unlikely that he's resigned.

 

[Spurzinho]

The galling thing is that people want to talk about what a great manager Conte is and yet we're also told that with the players he has available to him the best he can manage is some of the most brutal football I've seen in quite some time. THAT is what frustrates me. If this is the best you can do Antonio, then maybe mate, you're not as good as you think. He might well be able to take over a quality squad that's been mismanaged and give it that extra 10% to push it over the line and win a trophy but that's worlds away from what I value in a coach/manager. I admire managers that make the group greater than the sum of its parts. I admire coaches that improve players. I admire managers that try to leave a legacy. I don't admire someone who wants a pat on the back for inheriting the league's best squad and winning the title whilst jacking off any distraction like cup football, European and domestic. I've said it before but the great managers were Shankley, Paisley, Busby, Ferguson and Clough. Ferguson won the Cup Winners Cup (when that meant something) with Aberdeen ffs. Clough won the European cup with Forest. Twice! I can't be doing with this messiah worship of a prima donna that can't perform unless he has 18 elite athletes. Well, I'm sorry Antonio. You're better off in Italy where clubs seem more than happy to spend beyond their means and regularly risk their clubs very survival for a bit of silverware. I'm desperate to see my club succeed, desperate. I'm middle-aged and have seen us win one FA Cup and 1 League cup. I'm not going to get degrade myself though and pretend that Conte has so far been anything other than a massive disappointment.

 

[Freddie]

And here in lies the issue, Levy won’t make it easy to move these players on, he won’t take cut fees or he’ll get them out the door and so it slows down our squad building, always the same story.

Not much evidence of this since Fab came in. We've released Aurier and Alli and let many first team players go on loan for small loan fees. Can criticise Levy for not spending big but not for demanding unrealistic fees

 

[Hercules]

Please be true

WALOB

 

[Albertbarich]

Were in a lot of trouble

We need a top class centre back desperately and they're expensive, I think one of them could transform us as it would give us greater freedom to attack but this waiting process shows the club don't agree

So we struggle on but this means we're going to struggle to keep Conte and if we don't keep Conte we lose Kane on a free or for next to nothing. Replacing him then eats up the budget for other areas which also desperately need attention.

It's so depressing watching the scum a club we were ahead of six months ago top of the league and looking likely to sign a top top prospect who is ready to go now

 

[Yiddo100]

Sure is odd of him to resign and then take the press conference for tomorrows match.
Some people

 

[cider spurs]

Were in a lot of trouble

We need a top class centre back desperately and they're expensive, I think one of them could transform us as it would give us greater freedom to attack but this waiting process shows the club don't agree

So we struggle on but this means we're going to struggle to keep Conte and if we don't keep Conte we lose Kane on a free or for next to nothing. Replacing him then eats up the budget for other areas which also desperately need attention.

It's so depressing watching the scum a club we were ahead of six months ago top of the league and looking likely to sign a top top prospect who is ready to go now

These 'top class' CBs you talk of. Are they available in January. ??

 

[Albertbarich]

He doesn't need to quit.

He only has a few months left

 

[Timberwolf]

The galling thing is that people want to talk about what a great manager Conte is and yet we're also told that with the players he has available to him the best he can manage is some of the most brutal football I've seen in quite some time. THAT is what frustrates me. If this is the best you can do Antonio, then maybe mate, you're not as good as you think. He might well be able to take over a quality squad that's been mismanaged and give it that extra 10% to push it over the line and win a trophy but that's worlds away from what I value in a coach/manager. I admire managers that make the group greater than the sum of its parts. I admire coaches that improve players. I admire managers that try to leave a legacy. I don't admire someone who wants a pat on the back for inheriting the league's best squad and winning the title whilst jacking off any distraction like cup football, European and domestic. I've said it before but the great managers were Shankley, Paisley, Busby, Ferguson and Clough. Ferguson won the Cup Winners Cup (when that meant something) with Aberdeen ffs. Clough won the European cup with Forest. Twice! I can't be doing with this messiah worship of a prima donna that can't perform unless he has 18 elite athletes. Well, I'm sorry Antonio. You're better off in Italy where clubs seem more than happy to spend beyond their means and regularly risk their clubs very survival for a bit of silverware. I'm desperate to see my club succeed, desperate. I'm middle-aged and have seen us win one FA Cup and 1 League cup. I'm not going to get degrade myself though and pretend that Conte has so far been anything other than a massive disappointment.

Yeah, while I think it's clear Conte is an excellent manager given the right tools, it's starting to seem more like he needs that specific environment to thrive.

When he won the league with Inter recently, it was a comparatively poor league - Juve had an off year under Pirlo, Milan were extremely young and hadn't yet fully found their stride, and Atalanta were punching well above their weight simply being in the top 4.

Winning the league anywhere is an impressive achievement, but doing what he did with Inter off the back of massive investment, is nowhere near as big a challenge as succeeding in the current Premier League.

While I don't think he's washed up or anything, I would expect him to have shown some kind of flexibility or tactical innovation in the face of how teams are setting up against us. His system worked great initially but at the moment it's like Groundhog Day - every team knows what we're trying to do and then sets out to stop us yet week after week we still try to do the exact same thing.

Regardless of the quality of the players, surely as a coach sooner or later you have to make changes if you're seeing the same problems every single match.

 

[Albertbarich]

These 'top class' CBs you talk of. Are they available in January. ??

I don't know and neither do you

Transfers are always more difficult in January for sure but if you really really wanna make them happen you can

 

[14/04/91]

Surely you can't deny we have a real lack of depth as far as quality is concerned though. Whatever formation we play we lack that. I agree with what we have available right now 3-5-2 or even 4-4-2 looks better on paper, but that doesn't change the fact the squad still needs major surgery.

But the squad is stronger than last season. Yes we still need more and we've suffered injuries in similar positions but something's not been right since day one this campaign.

Even when we were getting results it wasn't 'clicking'. Compare that to some of the matches at the back end of last season and the players looked like they'd really bought into Conte; we were an aggressive, pacey 3-4-3 when attacking which morphed into a disciplined 5-4-1 out of possession. We were very hard to break down and dangerous on the ball.
I just don't see the same intensity and desire this season and that's what has worried me.

The other issue is with being 100% wedded to this system is what happens next. If Conte walks, we have players specifically bought for a system that not many coaches use which means starting all over again and, likely, a number of players deemed inappropriate. It's a dangerous game when your manager has a history of very short tenures.

 

[Albertbarich]

But the squad is stronger than last season. Yes we still need more and we've suffered injuries in similar positions but something's not been right since day one.

Even when we were getting results it wasn't 'clicking'. Compare that to some of the matches at the back end of last season and the players looked like they'd really bought into Conte; we were an aggressive, pacey 3-4-3 when attacking which morphed into a disciplined 5-4-1 out of possession. We were very hard to break down and dangerous on the ball.
I just don't see the same intensity and desire this season and that's what has worried me.

The other issue is with being 100% wedded to this system is what happens next. If Conte walks, we have players specifically bought for a system that not many coaches use which means starting all over again and, likely, a number of players deemed inappropriate. It's a dangerous game when your manager has a history of very short tenures.

He said that last season we were lucky for only being in one competition. It needed to be much much stronger.

Even if say Lucas was fit that's still a huge drop in quality.

 

[Spurzinho]

Yeah, while I think it's clear Conte is an excellent manager given the right tools, it's starting to seem more like he needs that specific environment to thrive.

When he won the league with Inter recently, it was a comparatively poor league - Juve had an off year under Pirlo, Milan were extremely young and hadn't yet fully found their stride, and Atalanta were punching well above their weight simply being in the top 4.

Winning the league anywhere is an impressive achievement, but doing what he did with Inter off the back of massive investment, is nowhere near as big a challenge as succeeding in the current Premier League.

While I don't think he's washed up or anything, I would expect him to have shown some kind of flexibility or tactical innovation in the face of how teams are setting up against us. His system worked great initially but at the moment it's like Groundhog Day - every team knows what we're trying to do and then sets out to stop us yet week after week we still try to do the exact same thing.

Regardless of the quality of the players, surely as a coach sooner or later you have to make changes if you're seeing the same problems every single match.

That's the thing about someone as stubborn as him. He will not change. He really does think he is right. It doesn't matter what damage he does, he will stick to his beliefs because at the end of the day he can always walk away from the mess and blame the club, the league, the board, the fans, whatever. Anyone expecting Conte to adapt and overcome is going to be disappointed. He'll keep doing what he's doing until he's sacked or his contract runs out.

 

[cider spurs]

I don't know and neither do you

Transfers are always more difficult in January for sure but if you really really wanna make them happen you can

Maybe, but what if the player you truly want isn't prepared to come until the summer, and, or, his club won't sell until the summer.

Surely that doesn't equate to the club not agreeing we need a top class CB now.

Time to stop buying the 'make do's' and go after the difference makers.

No problem waiting a wee while providing that we actually see the scenario through and actually sign the primary CB wanted.

 

[Albertbarich]

Maybe, but what if the player you truly want isn't prepared to come until the summer, and, or, his club won't sell until the summer.

Surely that doesn't equate to the club not agreeing we need a top class CB now.

Time to stop buying the 'make do's' and go after the difference makers.

No problem waiting a wee while providing that we actually see the scenario through.

Let's see.

I suspect thought the two or three players we truly want have huge competition for them who we won't pay more than so we will end up with a make do anyway.

 

[cider spurs]

Let's see.

I suspect thought the two or three players we truly want have huge competition for them who we won't pay more than so we will end up with a make do anyway.

Well this i can't deny. Here's hoping that we truly go after whom Conte wants (within reason, we're not oil doped).

I'm intrigued to see what he can really do with a deeper, talented squad.

 

[Freddie]

I think we should try and win but we’re not very good at it. Do you think Arsenals squad, especially Depth in attack, is far superior to ours? Are they contending?

But I don't think their squad is the benchmark. If you can rest your better players in your second rate European competition and sack off the cup competitions, and have a bit of luck with injuries then you can do very well in the league with just 13-14 players (just as Leicester did). It won't work every year and certainly not if you're in the Champions League.

 

[brasil_spur]

The galling thing is that people want to talk about what a great manager Conte is and yet we're also told that with the players he has available to him the best he can manage is some of the most brutal football I've seen in quite some time. THAT is what frustrates me. If this is the best you can do Antonio, then maybe mate, you're not as good as you think. He might well be able to take over a quality squad that's been mismanaged and give it that extra 10% to push it over the line and win a trophy but that's worlds away from what I value in a coach/manager. I admire managers that make the group greater than the sum of its parts. I admire coaches that improve players. I admire managers that try to leave a legacy. I don't admire someone who wants a pat on the back for inheriting the league's best squad and winning the title whilst jacking off any distraction like cup football, European and domestic. I've said it before but the great managers were Shankley, Paisley, Busby, Ferguson and Clough. Ferguson won the Cup Winners Cup (when that meant something) with Aberdeen ffs. Clough won the European cup with Forest. Twice! I can't be doing with this messiah worship of a prima donna that can't perform unless he has 18 elite athletes. Well, I'm sorry Antonio. You're better off in Italy where clubs seem more than happy to spend beyond their means and regularly risk their clubs very survival for a bit of silverware. I'm desperate to see my club succeed, desperate. I'm middle-aged and have seen us win one FA Cup and 1 League cup. I'm not going to get degrade myself though and pretend that Conte has so far been anything other than a massive disappointment.

I think you massively understand the fucking dreadful state our club is in on the playing front. If Poch got to the point of frustration he did, if Mourinho couldn't get a tune of the players and if Conte got us 4th from the depths of despair last season and is now struggling to retain that position or improve on it, then i'm sorry but it just doesn't matter who the fuck we have in charge.

We have a squad of players that contain a large amount of serial losers in it. By that I mean players that simply don't have the winning mentality it takes to get us where we fans want us to be. Now don't get me wrong, i'm not having a massive pop at the players, because where we want to be is basically amongst the 5-6 most Elite clubs in world football. That's a massive challenge and requires winning mentality at every level of the club. That's manager, players, staff, owners, DoFs, fans and everyone else involved.

Right now we simply don't have all this.

We have a manager and a DoF with winning mentality. We have a winning stadium and training facilities. And we have a very small handful of winning mentality players.

This is what, IMO, Conte is on about when he talks about players. Age isn't the issue for him, it's about experience and winning mentality.

 

[philll]

He seems quite chipper in his press conference.

 

[Yiddo100]

He seems quite chipper in his press conference.

He realises he’s only got 6 months to go?