Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[coy-spurs1882]

Fun fact: ... Since Antonio Conte took charge, Spurs have had six or more days to prepare for seven games under his watch and they have won six and drawn once. Compare that to their recent record of four days or fewer between games and you find six defeats from seven games in all competitions.

it means we have a pathetically bad squad, a bunch of our starting XI should be back up while our back up "players" are just disgrace to be called as professional footballers. we need 10+ proper signings otherwise we won't be able to compete at the highest level ever again

 

[Styopa]

it means we have a pathetically bad squad, a bunch of our starting XI should be back up while our back up "players" are just disgrace to be called as professional footballers. we need 10+ proper signings otherwise we won't be able to compete at the highest level ever again

It’s scary to think how backwards we have gone in terms of squad ability. We still years later have not properly replaced Walker, Dembele or Eriksen. We are significantly worse in those areas of the pitch and no amount of coaching is going to make Emerson better than Walker or Hojberg more effective than Dembele. We have also not really replaced the peak Vertongen-Alderweired partnership. All over the pitch we are weaker. Hopefully we have now turned a corner after a relatively disastrous few years of player recruitment. However the jury is still out on this season’s signings. They may go onto be world class but at the moment they are still a long way behind what we previously had. This summer is going to be hugely important.

 

[spursfan77]

Genuinely never been so confused about a Spurs team in my life. On one hand you have an elite top 5 world manager. On the other hand you have ridiculously inconsistent form. It just all feels a bit weird.

It feels like half the squad know they are up for sale and yet still have to produce on the pitch. Sometimes they can be arsed to do their jobs, sometimes they can’t because they know they aren’t wanted.

I know Conte has said that they are all with him but sometimes results are a product of a situation like this.

Or the players are just shit. That’s probably the real answer!

 

[allatsea]

It feels like half the squad know they are up for sale and yet still have to produce on the pitch. Sometimes they can be arsed to do their jobs, sometimes they can’t because they know they aren’t wanted.

I know Conte has said that they are all with him but sometimes results are a product of a situation like this.

Or the players are just shit. That’s probably the real answer!

I think you are wrong on both of your 'suggestions'. What our players lack , and I include Kane and Son in this, is what Jol use to call "Top Mentality". They all have decent or better levels of skill but most lack the will to win and aggression needed to win consistently.

 

[BSG-75]

I'm a major downer at the moment, much of it from the cup result and Conte's touchline behaviour. His emotion is contagious and when he is animated the crowd lift as do the players. I was at the game Boxing Day (my first watching with him as manager) and when the players came out second half the hairs on the back of neck stood up and I wanted to get on the pitch and play ! The other night he was pure sulking Jose and everything else was horribly flat as well. I love the bloke, we're stupidly lucky to have him, but he is starting to grate with me, I know the squad is shallow and unbalanced but he needs to work on his conduct and what he says. He has us all on his side, but if he carries on like that....... it'll make it easier for Levy to hit the eject switch and go and poach Hasenhüttl or something equally dumb.

 

[Gbspurs]

His stubbornness with his formation is doing us more harm then good.

We have to call it as it is, if it was Nuno or Jose they would be getting slaughtered.

Recent results have been horrendous & he simply has to change something …

Short term its causing us to struggle but ultimately long term its beneficial if we believe Conte is a manager worth backing. Backing the manager doesn't just mean signing players it means allowing him to take the time to instill a new method of playing and weeding out the players who can't move us forward.

 

[danielneeds]

Is football so short-termist now that we can’t just say, “Let’s write off this season, and start preparing for the next one?” I remember this happening all the time in the 90s and 00s.

 

[Japhet]

I think you are wrong on both of your 'suggestions'. What our players lack , and I include Kane and Son in this, is what Jol use to call "Top Mentality". They all have decent or better levels of skill but most lack the will to win and aggression needed to win consistently.

I'd say the main characteristic of 'top mentality' is treating every opponent the same. We turn up for Man City but go AWOL against just about everyone else of late. I include our so called elite players in that assessment too.

 

[WiganSpur]

Is football so short-termist now that we can’t just say, “Let’s write off this season, and start preparing for the next one?” I remember this happening all the time in the 90s and 00s.

No one's even giving it a summer window and a pre-season anymore. The lack of patience being shown is insane.

You can't work miracles with Emerson, Doherty, Winks and Sanchez as regular starters. You just can't.

 

[WiganSpur]

I'd say the main characteristic of 'top mentality' is treating every opponent the same. We turn up for Man City but go AWOL against just about everyone else of late. I include our so called elite players in that assessment too.

It's just another squad issue that we can't address until the summer. We need another forward to push Son and Kane but until then we will have to make do.

 

[Styopa]

I think you are wrong on both of your 'suggestions'. What our players lack , and I include Kane and Son in this, is what Jol use to call "Top Mentality". They all have decent or better levels of skill but most lack the will to win and aggression needed to win consistently.

I personally think the squad overall is lacking both top quality ability and top quality mentality. Kane and Son are tremendous players and would have no problem winning multiple trophies at e.g. Man City. But they were not enough to help us win a trophy even when they were playing in very good Spurs squads. Most of the rest of the squad would be nowhere near the best 11 of any top 4 side either in terms of ability or mentality.

Generally speaking 7th or 8th is probably about par given the overall ability levels of our squad. We are obviously capable of overachieving on our day especially because we have a few very talented individuals and a very impressive manager. But overall we are not much better in terms of quality than rivals like Wolves or Southampton. Important first team squad members like Emerson, Davies, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Winks, Sanchez and Bergwijn cannot really be described as being too good for teams like Southampton or Wolves. I don’t think those players walk into the sides of the teams around us.

 

[dagraham]

Is football so short-termist now that we can’t just say, “Let’s write off this season, and start preparing for the next one?” I remember this happening all the time in the 90s and 00s.

Yeah the good old “transitional” season at Spurs…….. or as it used to be known “just another season”.

 

[mil1lion]

Fun fact: ... Since Antonio Conte took charge, Spurs have had six or more days to prepare for seven games under his watch and they have won six and drawn once. Compare that to their recent record of four days or fewer between games and you find six defeats from seven games in all competitions.

Also remember that Conte won the title with Chelsea hitting 90+ points in a season with no European football. The following season with European football they finished 5th with 70 points. The likes of City and Liverpool hit 90+ points and win cup competitions as well. Conte has to work out how to rotate his squad in these busy seasons. Next season will be very congested as they fit in the world Cup. We need to give him the quality in depth but he also then needs to make use of it. For example on Tuesday he chose the same team that played Saturday when he could have made a couple of changes. The likes of Reguilon and Bergwijn are capable to start and give fresh legs.

 

[CoopsieDeadpool]

I'm a major downer at the moment, much of it from the cup result and Conte's touchline behaviour.

I know the squad is shallow and unbalanced but he needs to work on his conduct and what he says. He has us all on his side, but if he carries on like that....... it'll make it easier for Levy to hit the eject switch and go and poach Hasenhüttl or something equally dumb.

Sorry bud, but he doesn't need to work on his conduct and what he says at all.

It's how he's always been, and how we will always be.

We knew who we were employing, we knew how he conducts himself. Why the bloody hell would we want an absolute winner to change his mentality just to appease us simpletons?

It's the club that needs to change it's conduct, as do an increasing number of the people who claim to support it.

 

[WiganSpur]

Fun fact: ... Since Antonio Conte took charge, Spurs have had six or more days to prepare for seven games under his watch and they have won six and drawn once. Compare that to their recent record of four days or fewer between games and you find six defeats from seven games in all competitions.

Might be some truth in it, but you can easily put that down to squad rotation also. Everyone knows our backups are nowhere near good enough. The sample size is probably not great enough under Conte, but i'd be interested to know if it's purely due to lack of preparation time or the need to make changes to personnel. I suspect it's more the latter.

 

[cjbyid]

 

[jurgen11]

No-one is safe from public criticism it seems...

 

[thecook]

Another press conference, another headline.

 

[spursfan77]

I think you are wrong on both of your 'suggestions'. What our players lack , and I include Kane and Son in this, is what Jol use to call "Top Mentality". They all have decent or better levels of skill but most lack the will to win and aggression needed to win consistently.

You're right on the mentality, let's add it to my other 2 excuses!

 

[spursfan77]

No-one is safe from public criticism it seems...

Another press conference, another headline.

He's not wrong though is he?

We've moaned about our medical department for years. Players who seemingly are out for two weeks are then out for two months. The list of players is endless in recent times. There's obviously a problem with our medical department or something the club does. Paratici needs to be looking at it as a priority.