Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[spurs mental]

Fair points but

People imply that Conte is blameless by making every excuse for him. We have bought players and he has refused to play them. We have aldo had all of our players fit at points this season and have still been dreadful.

We've only had all our players fit a handful of times, literally. That doesn't help anyone find their rhythm, find others get in sync with each other.

Yes we got the points last season but were we really that great? There were a few very good performances but we ultimately were heavily dependant on a single tactic, namely the ball into Kane for Son to run off of.

A few?

We scored nearly as many as any other team in the league from when Conte arrived, we were only behind City and possibly Liverpool in points won after his arrival.

Norwich 0-5
Arsenal 3-0
Liverpool 1-1 we actually should have won but it was one of the days we were wasteful
Liverpool 2-2 again we should have beaten them but for their keeper and Kane(!) missing 3 chances he usually puts in the net.
Villa 0-4
Newcastle 5-1
Everton 5-0
Leeds 0-4
West Ham 3-1
Leicester 3-1

Thats more than a few.

In all honesty I'm biased, I absolutely detest this style of football. It will never be what I want to see our team play no matter how much we were to win. Not that I believe we would be successful playing that way any way.

I accept that people will look at Levy and feel that he should be backing Conte so that he can win us trophies.

I dont think we would win trophies under conte unless we spent ridiculous amounts of money on the very best players. I think he's the wrong fit for us and I would have Poch back in a heartbeat.

He has won everywhere else he's been. Much like Jose had done. I get that you don't like the style of football but nobody is forcing you to watch it either. I don't think we need ridiculous sums of money. We've signed Bentancur for a steal, Kulusevski for a very moderate amount in todays climate.

Wanting Poch back is fine, but its just a bit of romanticism to me, I don't see how it works out with the current crop, and he's never been one that it great at picking up a player either. It would be a disaster again in 12 months time with this owner.

All of that being said, I do think it's time for Levy and ENIC to go because although I would be happier with a better style of football I don't believe we will progress any further without a change of ownership.

This is it in a nutshell.

 

[walworthyid]

Fair points but

We've only had all our players fit a handful of times, literally. That doesn't help anyone find their rhythm, find others get in sync with each other.


A few?

We scored nearly as many as any other team in the league from when Conte arrived, we were only behind City and possibly Liverpool in points won after his arrival.

Norwich 0-5
Arsenal 3-0
Liverpool 1-1 we actually should have won but it was one of the days we were wasteful
Liverpool 2-2 again we should have beaten them but for their keeper and Kane(!) missing 3 chances he usually puts in the net.
Villa 0-4
Newcastle 5-1
Everton 5-0
Leeds 0-4
West Ham 3-1
Leicester 3-1

Thats more than a few.


He has won everywhere else he's been. Much like Jose had done. I get that you don't like the style of football but nobody is forcing you to watch it either. I don't think we need ridiculous sums of money. We've signed Bentancur for a steal, Kulusevski for a very moderate amount in todays climate.

Wanting Poch back is fine, but its just a bit of romanticism to me, I don't see how it works out with the current crop, and he's never been one that it great at picking up a player either. It would be a disaster again in 12 months time with this owner.


This is it in a nutshell.

Again, I'm biased. The results that you cite were no doubt good "results" but I have been saying on here from almost yhe very beginning that it would very quickly go wrong. As I said previously, if you don't press the ball, don't keep the ball, you will eventually struggle because too often you give the momentum to the other team. Once the results begin to tail off the grumbles will begin and confidence will dip, and this is exactly where we are now.

Players want the ball, they want to enjoy their football. I honestly don't believe that players enjoy playing a system that allows the opposition to dominate week in and week out.

Again, I'm biased, and as you say nobody is forcing me to watch, so I'm no longer watching and won't watch another game until Conte is replaced with a more attacking manager.

My love for spurs is undimmed, but I'm not getting any joy from it at the moment and life is too short for that to continue!

 

[EastLondonYid]

I'm reading many forums, social media and on here that Conte won't be backed if he doesn't commit to a new contract.

He won't commit because he's not being backed ...imo.

Not really hard to believe.

Do I think we should back Conte?
Im, like probably alot of fans,am a little torn, and a little concerned about that.
So many things he's got right, but equally so many he's got really wrong regards team selection and formation, this has been covered more than enough to go over it again.
Where do we go after Conte, who is out there.
The new stadium and regular CL football was meant to be the catalyst for a bright new era, doesn't feel like that.

Imo...Conte is going end of the season, I would be very surprised if he was here, and that is my own personal opinion,no tip off or inside info to be clear.

 

[rossdapep]

The frustrating thing for me is under Conte I dont think we are far away.

If Porro and Zaniolo come in, I think our attack is more or less sorted, with Udogie coming in the summer.

The investment then has to be at the back. 2 CBs of huge quality and a GK.

With Sarr developing. Thats all an entirely different prospect

 

[only1waddle]

The frustrating thing for me is under Conte I dont think we are far away.

If Porro and Zaniolo come in, I think our attack is more or less sorted, with Udogie coming in the summer.

The investment then has to be at the back. 2 CBs of huge quality and a GK.

With Sarr developing. Thats all an entirely different prospect

Although Son looks nearly done and there are questions over Harry's future with us.

 

[dontcallme]

Being a Spurs fan is really depressing. We have one of the best stadiums in the world, are in a great position financially, hired one of the highest rated managers in the world and had a DOF who appeared to have a great eye for a talent.

It's all just such a mess and I can't see Conte sticking around.

Another what could have been moment.

 

[EastLondonYid]

The frustrating thing for me is under Conte I dont think we are far away.

If Porro and Zaniolo come in, I think our attack is more or less sorted, with Udogie coming in the summer.

The investment then has to be at the back. 2 CBs of huge quality and a GK.

With Sarr developing. Thats all an entirely different prospect

I agree.
But for Conte to walk, he obviously doesn't believe he will get all the above, not now or in the summer.
Would anyone here be shocked if Levy brought in more players our coach doesn't really fancy?

We can say under Conte we aren't that far away, but there is little evidence of this, we have lost to arsenal twice, man u, Liverpool,city , Newcastle and scraped an injury time lucky draw at Chelsea who are pretty poor themselves.

Even against teams below us, the wins we achieved have hardly been straight forward or convincing.

Our CL group was relatively easy, but boy we made hard work of that.

We lost to Forest in the league cup with a strong team ..

I see little evidence that we aren't far away, especially with regards to future signings given Levy's track record, and given how Conte hasn't really improved us.

Look at how Brighton are playing with far inferior players.

 

[rossdapep]

Although Son looks nearly done and there are questions over Harry's future with us.

True but maybe new signings can help son..if not Richarlison needs yo play.

Kane will need resolving later and itd be better if everything else is in place when he goes

 

[Gb160]

Being a Spurs fan is really depressing. We have one of the best stadiums in the world, are in a great position financially, hired one of the highest rated managers in the world and had a DOF who appeared to have a great eye for a talent.

It's all just such a mess and I can't see Conte sticking around.

Another what could have been moment.

 

[Johnny J]

True but maybe new signings can help son..if not Richarlison needs yo play.

Kane will need resolving later and itd be better if everything else is in place when he goes

God help us when this team needs to find goals without Kane. Kulusevski can't do it all.

My amateur and likely wrong theory is that we've naturally relied so heavily on Kane for so long that our ability to create team goals has massively atrophied over time.

 

[spursfan77]

I agree.
But for Conte to walk, he obviously doesn't believe he will get all the above, not now or in the summer.
Would anyone here be shocked if Levy brought in more players our coach doesn't really fancy?

We can say under Conte we aren't that far away, but there is little evidence of this, we have lost to arsenal twice, man u, Liverpool,city , Newcastle and scraped an injury time lucky draw at Chelsea who are pretty poor themselves.

Even against teams below us, the wins we achieved have hardly been straight forward or convincing.

Our CL group was relatively easy, but boy we made hard work of that.

We lost to Forest in the league cup with a strong team ..

I see little evidence that we aren't far away, especially with regards to future signings given Levy's track record, and given how Conte hasn't really improved us.

Look at how Brighton are playing with far inferior players.

Are they inferior though? Lots of position I would have their players.

Anyway, let’s see where we are at the end of next month. I bet things are a lot more rosy then.

 

[Locotoro]

I've just watched the Pep Guardiola post match sky interview following our game and it given me food for thought. (Anyone who hasnt watched it it's worth the few minutes to do so). Now, I'm not particularly a fan of Pep, in fact i would say that I have a dislike for his professional persona that we see...but there is a lot in that interview that I think could be applied to our team.

He talks about both the players and the Home crowd being complacent and not having the "desire, fire and the aggression" in order to really show their top level. For Man City he puts that down to winning 4 titles in 5 years but for Spurs you could make the same criticism that the players don't seem to have that 100% mentality.

We can analyse tactics, positioning, styles of play and things like periodisation of training (and all of them have an impact) but the one thing that will always be the most important thing on the pitch is the concentration and the effort of players. Last season we were one of the most devastating teams in attacking transitions, we were rock solid in defence and we strengthened with 2 very good Premier League players and a very experienced Wingback. But we're playing with a lack of belief, our passing is unsure, our forwards are not making the runs into space, the players are taking the extra touch. There is no bravery. You don't go from what we have last season to what we see now without the mental drop being the cause.

Maybe it was the death of Ventrone, maybe it was the world cup or perhaps Conte's energy has diminished given his personal circumstances. But to me I see a team that is not sure of itself and takes that extra second to carry out the instructions they are taught, missing out on challenges and the second ball and that has left our performances disjointed and clunky.

There is a lack of belief in our team at this moment

 

[Styopa]

I agree.
But for Conte to walk, he obviously doesn't believe he will get all the above, not now or in the summer.
Would anyone here be shocked if Levy brought in more players our coach doesn't really fancy?

We can say under Conte we aren't that far away, but there is little evidence of this, we have lost to arsenal twice, man u, Liverpool,city , Newcastle and scraped an injury time lucky draw at Chelsea who are pretty poor themselves.

Even against teams below us, the wins we achieved have hardly been straight forward or convincing.

Our CL group was relatively easy, but boy we made hard work of that.

We lost to Forest in the league cup with a strong team ..

I see little evidence that we aren't far away, especially with regards to future signings given Levy's track record, and given how Conte hasn't really improved us.

Look at how Brighton are playing with far inferior players.

I agree, it feels like with Conte we are at least five or six top players away from properly competing right now. Zaniolo and Porro might give us a lift but they are not going to solve the problems we have at GK, CB, LWB, CM or the poor form of Son, or how we start every match so slowly, or how we regularly play on the back-foot etc, etc.

We also have to take it on faith that these players will actually improve us which has not been the case with Bissouma or Perisic or even Richarlison so far.

I guess it could be a start but we probably need to back Conte to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds if we are serious about him remaining here for the next couple of years. Zaniolo and Porro would barely make a dent on what’s actually needed.

 

[EastLondonYid]

Are they inferior though? Lots of position I would have their players.

Anyway, let’s see where we are at the end of next month. I bet things are a lot more rosy then.

The reason you would have their players is because the Brighton coach has got them playing flowing attractive football that makes them look great.
That's my point, our players look spent and miles off it,
But apart from Mac Alister and the Columbian kid in the middle , sorry can't spell his name off hand,the majority of our players are better.....they just look poor, and I really believe Conte's tactics and formation are partly to blame.
Can we turn it round ?
Yes we can, get a few in this January, players Conte wants,and hopefully kick on, and in the summer strengthen again .

But I've been here before, my gut tells me otherwise.

We all fear how this is ending.

 

[mil1lion]

The frustrating thing for me is under Conte I dont think we are far away.

If Porro and Zaniolo come in, I think our attack is more or less sorted, with Udogie coming in the summer.

The investment then has to be at the back. 2 CBs of huge quality and a GK.

With Sarr developing. Thats all an entirely different prospect

Its getting there. The main issue is the weakest part of the team is the spine. We can still do well if we can score more freely again though. We just need a couple of strong results to get the confidence up. If a couple of signings can have a similar impact to the last Jan signings we could be in business.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

The frustrating thing for me is under Conte I dont think we are far away.

If Porro and Zaniolo come in, I think our attack is more or less sorted, with Udogie coming in the summer.

The investment then has to be at the back. 2 CBs of huge quality and a GK.

With Sarr developing. Thats all an entirely different prospect

Isn’t that the story of the club though. Needed two top players and got Saha and Nelson, we always seem to be 2-4 players away from a set first 11. Only time we weren’t was Poch for 1-2 seasons then we had little to no bench.

 

[only1waddle]

The reason you would have their players is because the Brighton coach has got them playing flowing attractive football that makes them look great.
That's my point, our players look spent and miles off it,
But apart from Mac Alister and the Columbian kid in the middle , sorry can't spell his name off hand,the majority of our players are better.....they just look poor, and I really believe Conte's tactics and formation are partly to blame.
Can we turn it round ?
Yes we can, get a few in this January, players Conte wants,and hopefully kick on, and in the summer strengthen again .

But I've been here before, my gut tells me otherwise.

We all fear how this is ending.

Brighton are playing free flowing attractive football because De Zerbi didn't need to rip everything up, he fits the club philosophy, it's a great managerial appointment but it's worth noting it took them time to do that, under Potter they finished 15th, 16th and 9th, now sitting in 7th, their current success is down to continuity and great recruitment and footballing decisions being a priority, made by people who know and enjoy the game, and an excellent knowledgeable Chairman who isn't a massive twat.

*De Zerbi I think might be the next breakout manager..

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

When you look at the teams above and two below us they know what they’re doing, happy and confident with their style of play. Not a huge fan of Conte, but he and we all know that if he got that back line sorted it was more likely that we would push on from last season. We are now stuck at yet another crossroads while we look on at other teams with a dose of envy as we all know deep down that attractive, attacking football is what we want. Obviously, with Conte we know what we’re getting and if backed fully I was one willing to see how this would go as he often had an average of 2/3 seasons at a club.

I feel that if that backline was sorted we would be in a title race, however, we were all warned that this may take 5 / 6 windows from Conte himself: not signing a contract seems to indicate that he knows this will not even happen in that timeframe. With this horrible run that seems not to be going away as well as the internal mess at board level there is an inevitability about how this will end. I am at the stage of not taking anything seriously anymore as another new project is just another rinse & repeat cycle that we’ve seen so many times. Even with ‘serial winners’ it’s not working under ENIC. Does it matter who is next? For me, talking about a new manager is irrelevant: ENIC & Levy need to go.

 

[Johno1470]

That's because it's bullshit.

Who is to blame for the poor use of Bissouma, Richarlison and Spence then?

They were signed under his watch regardless if he wanted them or not. All three have been average at best and it can be put down to Conte’s insistence to start Son in poor form and overplay PEH/Bentancur.

All of a sudden when he needs replacements they’re coming in without having had consistent gametime. Any wonder we struggle when we need to bring in players from the bench,

I consider it bullshit to claim that Conte is devoid of any blame.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Who is to blame for the poor use of Bissouma, Richarlison and Spence then?

They were signed under his watch regardless if he wanted them or not. All three have been average at best and it can be put down to Conte’s insistence to start Son in poor form and overplay PEH/Bentancur.

All of a sudden when he needs replacements they’re coming in without having had consistent gametime. Any wonder we struggle when we need to bring in players from the bench,

I consider it bullshit to claim that Conte is devoid of any blame.

Seriously?

I said it's bullshit that anyone has said that Conte is blameless and you type all that?

Go away