Tottenham are a club drifting dangerously towards mediocrity with little obvious idea of their own identity. They are the breakaway European Super League that haven’t even qualified for the Champions League in the last two years. They sit outside the game’s financial elite but wouldn’t countenance selling their highest-value asset even when it was clear he wanted out.
And on it goes. Daniel Levy made public promises about attacking football but then appointed a notoriously defensive manager. They could be the natural home for young, English talent but had averaged the fifth-oldest starting XI in the Premier League last season. They have one of the best stadiums in the world but have filled it with groans and sighs.
So there is some sympathy for Nuno Espirito Santo, the equivalent of the petrol station Christmas present after realising the department store shelves were all bare. He was – generously – the fourth-choice for his job and that sends a message to the playing staff that is hard to shift. He was not the only problem at Tottenham, nor even the biggest, merely a patsy.
But then Nuno still fell short of the meekest expectations. The principal issue was not that Tottenham players were unable to enact his attacking strategy, but that the strategy itself was never apparent. Tottenham’s two best attacking players, Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, thrive either on seeing a lot of the ball or having space to run into – Jose Mourinho preferred the second option.
Nuno’s football, building out from the back and then stodgy possession in midfield, sidestepped both of those options. Kane and Son, craving the ball, dropped deeper and deeper until Tottenham became a team of midfielders with no space to operate and no zip to bypass any press. Shots dried up; had Norwich managed two more against Leeds on Sunday, Spurs would have the lowest shots total in the Premier League.
But then that reflects Tottenham’s current guise, a club where careers risk stalling. Dele Alli is battling for relevance. Harry “40” Winks is in a deeper slumber than his name suggests. Eric Dier’s touted £50m move to Manchester United seems light years ago. Nuno himself was dragged down quickly. It was precisely this stuttering decline that made Kane so keen to leave in the summer.
At this juncture, Tottenham have two antithetical options. They could make a grab at long-termism, replicating the Pochettino era with a coach such as Graham Potter; plenty of supporters would celebrate that appointment. Or they could attempt to rejuvenate the club’s form, name and, sorry, brand by appointing the best out-of-work gun for hire in the game. Given the pressing situation – another season without high-level European football – Conte strikes as a very sensible option. If nothing else, he was higher up the shortlist than Nuno five months ago.
It is harder to see why Conte would want the job than why Tottenham would want Conte. He has an exemplary record of turning clubs around quickly – Juventus, Inter, Chelsea. He is usually afforded meaty transfer budgets, but has a working relationship with Fabio Paratici from his time in Turin. He has never stayed at a club for more than three years, but then so what if he leaves with Spurs’ reputation redeemed?
The accusation against Conte is that he is abrasive, prepared to play a public war with his clubs if he feels he is lacking required investment – sound your Mourinho klaxon now. But then Thomas Tuchel was subjected to the same allegations when appointed by Chelsea and nobody is complaining yet. Even if Conte is prickly, the complaints around Levy’s leadership give him a mandate in the eyes of supporters. Tottenham’s boardroom is covered in feathers that are ripe for ruffling.
Tottenham’s squad is flawed. Their best player was not – or is not – happy. Their new signings have not yet settled (Bryan Gil has played 57 league minutes all season), they have a group of ageing senior players (Son, Lloris, Moura and Kane are all aged 28 or over), there is uncertainty about the preferred style of play and they have lower budgets than most of the clubs they believe are their peers.
But Conte has proven himself a master of applying Polyfilla to cracks. He demands total buy-in from players. He is a master tactician, labelled the best in the world by Guardiola. His preferred 3-1-4-2 formation makes sense here: Kane and Son up front, Ndombele in behind, Hojbjerg protecting the defence and two of any number of central midfielders in front of him depending on the strength of the opposition.
And if Conte is an option for today rather than tomorrow, so be it; Tottenham can no longer afford to wait. Potter may well be the better long-term option, but poaching Premier League managers midseason has basically become defunct. Alan Pardew – from Newcastle United to Crystal Palace – in 2015 was the last.
Conte will not be the solution to Tottenham’s problems. The relationship between supporters and club is half-broken and can only be reconnected by effective communication. He does not represent a new era or a long-term vision – the reported contract length is 18 months. This may well be his hardest task yet and it is definitely his weakest squad – in comparison with their rivals – since Siena a decade ago.
But Spurs have scored nine goals in 10 league games and haven’t kept a clean sheet in seven. They have no plan to service their best players. When you are in a state of emergency, there are few more capable people in football than Conte at banging heads together, turning form around and yet not leaving scorched earth behind him. For those reasons alone, Tottenham would be lucky to have him.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3CCzVOu
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