With the advent of another new beginning at Tottenham Hotspur, something fundamental has changed within the corridors of power in north London.
It took 72 days to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo; another 124 to sack him – and as Antonio Conte becomes the club’s fourth permanent manager in less than two years, there is a strange, disorienting sense as if Nuno’s reign never happened at all.
Conte, a man with five league titles in his last seven seasons across spells with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, is the man tasked with restoring Spurs’ direction.
Three months after reportedly turning down the job, he has been persuaded this time around. That hints at the Italian being given greater authority than he was promised during those initial talks. He once asked, in a not-so-subtle dig during his time at Stamford Bride, “what are Tottenham’s expectations?” Not winning the title, nor even qualifying for the Champions League, he surmised.
Yet as arguably the most accomplished out-of-work head coach in the world, (three-time Champions Leaue winner Zinedine Zidane is his only possible rival for that accolade), Conte arrives with fans hoping he will super-charge Spurs’ horizons in a way that only Mauricio Pochettino has dared to dream of in the ENIC era.
While he is working with only the remnants of the side that challenged for titles in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and which reached the 2019 Champions League final, it’s expected that he will be given the means to improve a faltering squad in January and with a contract until 2023, he should another chance in the summer too.
He is set to take charge for the first time against Vitesse in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday, but he will have a chance to learn far more about his players when Spurs travel to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Conte’s 5-point to-do list
Harry Kane
Fortunately for Conte, he takes over at a point in which the mood at Spurs could not possibly get much worse – epitomised by some sections of the crowd booing Harry Kane during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United. The vice-captain’s relationship with the fans has been severely tainted by his botched attempt to join Manchester City in the summer and with two and a half years left to run on his contract – and one league goal all season – it looks unlikely that he will get another chance to leave in the foreseeable future.
That plays into Conte’s hands, with the three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner one of the great casualties of Nuno’s system. At Inter Milan, Conte transformed Romelu Lukaku’s – honing a fitness regime that saw the striker struggle to reach his potential at Manchester United – and created a title-winning partnership between the Belgian and Lautaro Martinez. He has the raw tools to work with at Spurs in Kane and Son Heung-min, plus the untapped potential of Steven Bergwijn and the pace of Lucas Moura.
If it a question of playing hardball with Kane, he has a record at Chelsea too. In 2017, he dealt with a notoriously difficult Diego Costa by informing him via text that he wasn’t in his plans. That won’t be how he approaches Kane – he was reportedly very impressed with Daniel Levy’s ambition in keeping hold of the England captain this summer – but he could be the perfect antidote after rumours of Nuno lacking authority.
The boardroom
From Andre Villas-Boas to Jose Mourinho, a number of past managers have bemoaned broken promises from up above.
Yet there is a feeling that, as Levy turns to a 14th manager in 20 years, the board have to get this right. Fabio Paratici – with whom Conte worked at Juventus – has played a key role in selecting Nuno’s replacement and while he will also be instrumental in seeing deals over the line, the new manager is set to have a greater role in recruitment.
A new formation
Conte’s success at Inter last season was based on a back three of Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni. It’s a system Spurs have toyed with but never committed to fully, but it could hint at an increased role for Ben Davies, who can play as a left-sided centre-back and has often done so for Wales; full-back Matteo Darmian was employed in a similar role on occasion at the San Siro.
Tottenham already have the tools in place, with Cristian Romero one of the few players to come out of the first 10 league games of the season with much credit. A lack of width has been a problem for a number of years – really, since the end of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose’s partnership – but Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon give Conte something to work with.
January transfers
He also needs to embed the club’s summer signings, from Emerson to Bryan Gil (Pape Sarr will join at the end of the season).
When he is given his own cheque book, he has already been linked with a host of his former Inter stars – from De Vrij (a potential partner for Eric Dier at centre-back) to a reunion with Christian Eriksen, who is no longer allowed to play in Serie A due to regulations relating to playing with implantable cardioverter defibrillators after his cardiac arrest.
Conte went big at Chelsea, splashing out on Marcos Alonso, Michy Batshuayi, David Luiz and best of all, N’Golo Kante.
Fitness
i understands that concerns have been raised over the fitness levels of the current squad – not just under Nuno, but dating back Mourinho’s time in charge. Conte’s training sessions are notoriously intense and there will be plenty of scrutiny on how they affect the likes of Dele Alli – branded as “lazy” by Mourinho in the All or Nothing documentary and Tanguy Ndombele, who has struggled for fitness since joining two years ago.
“Conte’s track record speaks for itself,” said Paratici, Tottenham’s managing director of football, “with vast experience and trophies in both Italy and England. I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us, having worked with him at Juventus, and look forward to seeing his work here.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3CEM3ic
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