When Tottenham announced the appointment of Antonio Conte as their new head coach, there was excitement not just within the Tottenham fan base but around the football world. It seemed like they had gotten themselves the man to finally end their trophy drought. A coach who is known for winning against the odds, he took Juventus FC at their worst and turned them into a dominant force; he won the Premier League with a Chelsea team that was coming off their worst season in years; and he won Inter Milan their first league title in 11 years. There is no doubt this was what Daniel Levy, Tottenham fans, and the whole football world were expecting Conte to replicate at Tottenham. A classic underdog story that he has achieved with most of his teams. Unfortunately, Conte has left Tottenham without a trophy or any sign of improvement.
The writings of fallout were on the wall even before Conte accepted to be the Head Coach of Tottenham Football Club. He was always Daniel Levy's first choice to replace Jose Mourinho, even since he left Inter Milan by mutual consent. Conte rejected the offer because he didn’t believe the Tottenham project suited him, which made Levy opt for Nuno Espirito Santo. It became clear Nuno wasn’t the right man for the job with a string of bad results, which made Daniel Levy pull the plug and go for Conte a second time. It took a lot of convincing and rejection from Manchester United before Conte accepted Levy’s offer to become the Head Coach.
In Conte’s first season, he delivered Champions League football ahead of his North London rivals, Arsenal, which felt like a huge achievement considering where they were before Conte became Head Coach. The style of play, however, wasn’t what Tottenham fans and Levy were expecting, but they were willing to give Conte time and support. Fast forward to this season. Tottenham backed Conte with transfers and even changed their policy of buying young players for Conte, but it wasn't enough. He had constant complaints about the players, the club, and the owner. The final straw was his disrespectful rant aimed at Daniel Levy, the players, and the club's trophy haul after their 3-3 draw with Southampton.
One might have expected Daniel Levy to have sacked Conte earlier because there were clear signs that the team was regressing. Conte's comments were not inspiring or progressive; rather, it sounded like he did not want to be at Spurs. It seemed like he was hoping to be sacked, which is surprising because the Conte football world has come to love and is never one to run from a challenge. Perhaps Conte never settled in England, as there were reports that he was lodging in a hotel throughout his time as Tottenham coach.
The football world will be keeping an eye on Conte’s next club. We will be curious to see if Tottenham was a one-off or if Tottenham is the beginning of the end for one of the best underdog coaches the football world has ever seen.
Edited By
Aminat Akintobi
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