The Conte Thread

[Vesper 28,804]

Antonio Conte to Spurs? It’s doomed but it’s irresistible

https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-conte-levy-tottenham-second-chance

Antonio Conte and Spurs might not seem a natural fit, but he’s keen and available; Levy has to pursue it.

It might not come easily, but you have to feel sorry for Daniel Levy. A bit. A tiny bit. No? Okay, fair enough, you don’t have to feel sorry for Daniel Levy.

But sympathy or no, he’s still found himself in an invidious position. It is largely of his own making, and it does apparently end with him getting one of the very best managers in the world so you’re right, we probably shouldn’t feel too sorry for him. But the circumstances are still, well, a bit strange.

Because ordinarily, you’d think that a chairman who desperately needs to get a febrile fanbase back on side couldn’t do much more than appoint a legitimately world-class manager who is way out of his club’s league yet is both available and apparently, inexplicably, keen on the whole idea.

For Daniel Levy and Tottenham, though, it’s never quite that simple. The idea of bringing Mauricio Pochettino back to the club gained such momentum and was such a captivating notion – even more so in light of the whole Mourinho unpleasantness – that anyone else feels a bit of a letdown.

But what could Levy do? The financial constraints Spurs face are real and immediate, with their stadium-based business plan hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Extricating Pochettino from Paris was always going to be a lengthy, difficult and above all expensive process.

It’s little wonder that his head has been turned by the promise of a (relatively speaking) more straightforward deal for the unattached Antonio Conte, who, it must be remembered, has won four league titles in Serie A and one in the Premier League.

Then, though, there is the small matter of Levy’s programme notes from the Villa game. It came as close as Levy ever has and ever will to apologising for anything (i.e. not really very close at all) but did contain some eye-catching material. He acknowledged the club had perhaps lost sight of itself in recent years and forgotten its DNA, to use the rather hifalutin buzzword so beloved of football clubs.

He also outlined the brief for the new manager, a passage that stopped short of naming either Pochettino or Mourinho but left little doubt that it referred to both Spurs’ most recent gaffers.

“We are acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great Club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known – free-flowing, attacking and entertaining – whilst continuing to embrace our desire to see young players flourish from our Academy alongside experienced talent.”

Spurs wanted, in other words, a New Pochettino or at the very least an Anti-Mourinho.

We now find ourselves, just a couple of weeks later, with Levy on the brink of appointing a short-termist histrionic former Chelsea boss with a history of starting unnecessary fights.

Yet let’s not kid ourselves that Conte is nothing more than Mourinho redux. Mourinho was one of the best managers in the world; Conte is one of the best managers in the world.

It will almost certainly end in tears before too long, but that is increasingly true of all managerial appointments and while Levy’s specific penchant for appointing former Chelsea managers is now trending towards obsession he must also look at the way short-termism works for them and wonder if long-term planning and projects are really all that.

A manager of Conte’s calibre being keen and available all but forces Levy’s hand. It would be negligent of him not to pursue it.

But the relative ease – compared with Pochettino or anyone else under contract – of bringing in a manager not currently at a club could be the very shortest of short-term gains.

Conte is going to demand a sizeable transfer budget. That’s a given. He has just huffed out of title-winning Inter because they wouldn’t spend all the money and were looking to sell key players. The Harry Kane parallels draw themselves.

The idea of Levy and Conte working together seems an even surer recipe for disaster than Levy and Mourinho. But how can he do anything else? He brought in Mourinho to end the trophy drought; Conte is another appointment with that goal squarely in mind rather than any ‘DNA’ or ‘style’ for which the club is known.

Yet there is literally no reference to Spurs now that doesn’t also mention The Trophy Drought. Yes, it has earned the capital letters. It has become A Thing. It is the club’s DNA and that needs to change. Levy can hardly be blamed for becoming obsessed with the albatross that is constantly around his neck.

And as Hail Marys go, Conte is far less desperate than Mourinho. Conte’s great achievements are not in the distant past. His methods have not been shot to pieces by the relentless tide of progress.

If success at Juventus can be waved away as the normal order of things, his other two league titles mark him out as the transformative coach who actually could deliver at Spurs if (and that word is doing an awful lot of work there) Levy is as bold as he’ll need to be.

He took a Chelsea team that finished 10th and turned them into champions, responding to a draw with Swansea and defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal by completely changing Chelsea’s game, moving to a back three and embarking on a season-defining, title-winning 13-match winning run. Chelsea romped to the title by seven points – ahead of peak Poch Spurs – and haven’t finished higher than third since.

At Inter, he took a club that had become an absolute mess since its Mourinho glory days and turned them into dominant champions too, ending an imploding Juventus’ stranglehold on Serie A and winning the title by 12 points.

It almost certainly won’t end well. It might even only last a season. But the chances of Spurs finally winning something just increased significantly. And if it does only last a season, well, it’ll be that much easier in a year’s time to bring Pochettino home.

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Vesper

[different level 1,056]

I still find it hard to believe a high profile manager like Conte might be interested in the the Spuds job. It's also a bit odd Real Madrid didn't consider him at all and went straight after Carlo who wasn't even available.

[DH1988 1,273]

More and more reports saying he’s en route to finalise. This could be a disaster, they have to sell Kane in order to spend and imagine letting Conte have free reign over 150m. At least they’ve had sense to appoint a DOF.

They simply have no cash to spend without selling Kane, so I imagine that’ll be a condition and I firmly believe they make top 4, long term I think it’s an awful move.

[Vesper 28,804]

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

23 minutes ago, Vesper said:

You seem to never sleep. What's your secret? I'm going to need that skill very soon. 

[Vesper 28,804]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

You seem to never sleep. What's your secret? I'm going to need that skill very soon. 

I am sure I have discussed this before on here, just not lately

🦾

since I was a a baby I have barely slept more than  a couple hours a day (usually an hour or less, and I can go days with no sleep)

my complete REM cycle is vastly faster than a normal person's

I have been to so many doctors, including world-class neurologists in London and Paris and Hong Kong over the 28 and a half (almost exactly) years I have been on the planet

general consensus is there is nothing adverse coming from it, and nothing they can do about it anyway

It is why I get so much done, I have an extra 6, 7 or so hours a day

only downside is I also have (very rare) narcoleptic events

have not had one in ages thank fuck

there are more like me out there, many more

wifey is quite used to it, and leaves me lists of shit to do whilst she sleeps, ffs (and she can SLEEP, lolol, holy fuck)

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Vesper

[Fulham Broadway 16,849]

Levy is clearly obsessed with Chelsea if Conte joins Spurs, that would be the 4th ex Chelsea manager in 25 years. Mugs

[DDA 9,690]

1 hour ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Levy is clearly obsessed with Chelsea if Conte joins Spurs, that would be the 4th ex Chelsea manager in 25 years. Mugs

Imitation is the biggest form of flattery.

They can try but they will never be like us.

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

6 hours ago, Vesper said:

I am sure I have discussed this before on here, just not lately

🦾

since I was a a baby I have barely slept more than  a couple hours a day (usually an hour or less, and I can go days with no sleep)

my complete REM cycle is vastly faster than a normal person's

I have been to so many doctors, including world-class neurologists in London and Paris and Hong Kong over the 28 and a half (almost exactly) years I have been on the planet

general consensus is there is nothing adverse coming from it, and nothing they can do about it anyway

It is why I get so much done, I have an extra 6, 7 or so hours a day

only downside is I also have (very rare) narcoleptic events

have not had one in ages thank fuck

there are more like me out there, many more

wifey is quite used to it, and leaves me lists of shit to do whilst she sleeps, ffs (and she can SLEEP, lolol, holy fuck)

 

Wow.  You are like some of the greats. 

Leonardo da Vinci's sleep schedule included 20-minute naps every four hours.

Da Vinci followed an extreme form of a polyphasic sleep schedule called the Uberman sleep cycle, which consists of 20-minute naps every four hours.

This unconventional sleep cycle may have given the artist/inventor/scientist more awake time during his days, but could have also made it difficult for him to work on long-term projects.

 

Inventor Nikola Tesla never slept for more than two hours a day.

Tesla got more out of the day with his limited sleep schedule. Like Da Vinci, Telsa also followed the Uberman sleep cycle and claimed to never sleep for more than two hours a day and reportedly once worked for 84 hours in a lab without any rest or sleep.

"I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success ... Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything," he said.

 

[DH1988 1,273]

DOF will be hit or miss, ultimately, smart by Levy as it takes the flak away from him on transfers. Don’t get me wrong, the guy made some good calls on transfers, but also some awful ones. Give me 10 transfers and I’m sure I’d get some right.......right? 😆

 

Anyway, I back TT to outsmart any manager now. Realistically Spurs will play back 3, be more solid and play effective football.. but that’s not the Spurs way right? 🤣 

[Atomiswave 6,072]

7 minutes ago, DH1988 said:

DOF will be hit or miss, ultimately, smart by Levy as it takes the flak away from him on transfers. Don’t get me wrong, the guy made some good calls on transfers, but also some awful ones. Give me 10 transfers and I’m sure I’d get some right.......right? 😆

 

Anyway, I back TT to outsmart any manager now. Realistically Spurs will play back 3, be more solid and play effective football.. but that’s not the Spurs way right? 🤣 

Spurs are so barren I dont think they give a fuck, they wanna play with the big boys and they see themselves as elite now, twats.

[DH1988 1,273]

13 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

Spurs are so barren I dont think they give a fuck, they wanna play with the big boys and they see themselves as elite now, twats.

I just think they don’t ‘tolerate’ a non attacking brand, that’s the excuse they used with Jose toward the end, it’s fine when you’re winning, but as soon as things go south everybody jumps on the bandwagon and I think it’ll be Conte’s downfall mixed with his ego.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

19 minutes ago, DH1988 said:

I just think they don’t ‘tolerate’ a non attacking brand, that’s the excuse they used with Jose toward the end, it’s fine when you’re winning, but as soon as things go south everybody jumps on the bandwagon and I think it’ll be Conte’s downfall mixed with his ego.

Yup at some point its gonna end in tears, Conte will do well for them, probably win a cup here and there but it will end badly.

[Jase 43,479]

If Conte does end up at Spurs, think there are few things that won't work in his favor, even if he does galvanize the players:

1. He won't have much money to spend at all (and Spurs do have some dross in their squad) and if his history is anything to go by, we know he'll kick up a fuss and end up leaving or getting the sack while potentially dragging Spurs down. Also doubt he would suddenly look into using youth players when he only wants immediate success.

2. He won't have the surprise factor anymore with his back 3 system like he did in 2016/17. His success with us then has led to more teams using the back 3 and a lot of teams now are capable of coping with the back 3. We also saw what happened in 2017/18 when his back 3 became too predictable to play against.

3. He might not be able to get the consistency out of Spurs and work on his tactics etc as much as he wants with them being in Europe next season. Apart from his Juventus, he has not been great in the league when he has had midweek European fixtures to contend with. We saw it in 2017/18, the first season with Inter and in the first half of this past season with them. They also don't really have the squad quality/depth to compete on multiple fronts. 

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

hace 5 minutos, Jas dijo:

If Conte does end up at Spurs, think there are few things that won't work in his favor, even if he does galvanize the players:

1. He won't have much money to spend at all (and Spurs do have some dross in their squad) and if his history is anything to go by, we know he'll kick up a fuss and end up leaving or getting the sack while potentially dragging Spurs down. Also doubt he would suddenly look into using youth players when he only wants immediate success.

2. He won't have the surprise factor anymore with his back 3 system like he did in 2016/17. His success with us then has led to more teams using the back 3 and a lot of teams now are capable of coping with the back 3. We also saw what happened in 2017/18 when his back 3 became too predictable to play against.

3. He might not be able to get the consistency out of Spurs and work on his tactics etc as much as he wants with them being in Europe next season. Apart from his Juventus, he has not been great in the league when he has had midweek European fixtures to contend with. We saw it in 2017/18, the first season with Inter and in the first half of this past season with them. They also don't really have the squad quality/depth to compete on multiple fronts. 

Yep have to agree. Will last 18 months or 2 seasons max, which isn’t the worst if he manages to do something there as they are dying out for a trophy of some sort. I can’t disagree with Spurs trying to chase some sort of short term achievement considering the tome they spent doing the long term building with Poch and nothing really came bar a CL runners up.

I think at the same time Spurs and Conte will be a potentially very good match for a season or 18 months though, especially if he keeps Kane. I really think if he plays 352 and can get guys like Lo Celso, Ndombele and the boy  they signed from Southampton to gel they’ve got a really solid base in there with a lot of physicality, power and very decent technical attributes. I mean I have been a fan of Lo Celso from his spell at Real Betis and I am shocked its not gone to plan for him yet at Spurs. Ndombele as well has struggled with consistency but has certainly shown this season at times he has real quality, I think he would be a Rolls-Royce in a 433/352 with 2 players next to him that can really get around the pitch in that zone in front of the middle of the pitch and maybe give him that little bit more freedom to go and hurt teams. But again this is Conte so probably wont happen there will be lots of “suffering” 😂. 

It will be interesting thats for sure. I reckon he has got a lot yet to give even if other clubs/teams will know what to expect. Even here, his back 3, he played it with Italy and with Juventus, it wasn’t exactly alien for anyone who knew of him. Plus the good managers even if people know what to expect, the coaching makes the difference. I think its fair to say Conte is of the calibre. Whether or not Spurs will be able to provide him the squad or at least 3/4 top players to reinvigorate that squad this summer, is difficult to say.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Conte's way of playing 343 is much different than how TT does it, but he will still do damage with Spurs though they have a horse shit of a squad and as Jason said he wont have much cash to play with.....still I rather not see him in Eng to be honest, he was special to us.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Any chance Levy is gonna fuck this up and get Antonio Bandaras instead of Antonio Conte?

Edited June 4, 2021 by Atomiswave

[Jase 43,479]