Antonio Conte and Tottenham parted ways on Sunday after his disastrous post-match press conference after the draw against Southampton. He shockingly called out his players and the structure of the club. Was his time at Spurs a success or a failure?
It is hard to see the future from November 2021 when Antonio Conte succeeded the acceptingly underwhelming Nuno Espirito Santo, but Conte was certainly branded a manager who could stay in North London for the long term.
His first six months were an absolute success. Spurs obviously were unable to reach the levels of the Premier League elite in that season, but were competing with rivals Arsenal for the top four. After some fantastic wins, such as the last minute winners away at Leicester and Manchester City and the 3-0 thumping against Arsenal, he gained the club Champions League qualification for the first time since 2018/19.
He later branded his achievement of his opening season a ‘miracle’ which was probably an early sign of his expectations at the club. Antonio Conte was what most would describe as a realist. He was always honest with the situation of Spurs, and how winning a trophy was not an overnight job at a club which had not won one since 2008.
Conte has made Spurs stable contenders in the top four this season and utilised the signings that have been effective, but his frustrations were still projected whenever Spurs would lose. The atmosphere around the club derailed after exits in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in March.
Conte had evidently grown tired of his players and was struggling mentally after personal losses with Gianni Vio and Gian Piero in late 2022, along with his gallbladder surgery which saw him dormant from the side-line for a number of weeks. Conte eventually returned and the 3-3 draw was the boiling point for the already frustrated Italian.
Antonio Conte will hold the view that his time at Tottenham was an overriding success considering what his expectations were. The Premier League winner was insistent that finishing in the top four was a great achievement for the club – whether that was a jab at the current leadership, the players or simply the other teams surrounding, who are financially stronger, it is certainly something the fans did not want to hear.
One thing is not in doubt – his first season as Spurs coach was a success. He failed in the domestic trophies but showed great coaching and management to reach the top four, which was a credit to him and his January signings – Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Multiple factors have made it difficult in Conte for what was his first full season. Heung Min Son has been underwhelming, £60m Richarlison is yet to score a Premier League goal and he has had a number of key players injured throughout the season.
However, there has been a number of truly underwhelming results, and Conte was undoubtedly going to be judged more intently on his cup performances this season, where he undelivered. The desperation in N17 is simply to get a trophy, and that is what Conte was hired for. With a seemingly passive play-style, fans grew frustrated after defeats in the cups, particularly the FA Cup which saw fans lose trust.
Antonio Conte will view his time as a success, but it is clear that he underperformed in the second season, for some reasons no fault of his own. It is unfortunate the way things have transpired, but it very much feels that if a manager does not reach the back end of the FA Cup or Carabao Cup without domestic success, they are failing the fans. The expectations are high since Pochettino’s departure, so Conte underperformed in that sense.
Spurs will now search for the next man to succeed Conte, with rumours swirling over Julian Nagelsmann and a potential return for Mauricio Pochettino.
Kommentarer