Tottenham news – LIVE: Nagelsmann and Enrique lead next Spurs manager chase
Spurs could move for Julian Nagelsmann or Mauricio Pochtettino as their next boss
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham Hotspur begin their search for a new manager after Antonio Conte was sacked.
Daniel Levy has opted to wield the axe once more despite Spurs sitting fourth in the Premier League and primed for a place in next season’s Champions League. But with the atmosphere in this particular corner of north London turning sour, Levy has been ruthless.
Cristian Stellini has been installed as Acting Head Coach and will be joined by Ryan Mason as Assistant Head Coach. Julian Nagelsmann, after his sacking at Bayern Munich, and Mauricio Pochettino have already been linked and coud succeed the Italian, with the chasing pack of Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton looking to overhaul the deficit. Follow the latest updates as Levy looks for his next manager:
The five most disastrous matches of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham tenure
Southampton 3 Tottenham 3 (March 18, 2023)
Holding a 3-1 lead and set to move into third place, Spurs pressed the self-destruct button at St Mary’s and their head coach did the same after full-time.
James Ward-Prowse’s stoppage-time penalty salvaged Saints a point and saw Conte let rip into his squad across several interviews. During an explosive post-match press conference that lasted 10 minutes, the Italian described his players as “selfish” and hit out at “the story of Tottenham” when he reflected on one cup win over a 20-year period.
While Conte later clarified with the board his comments were aimed at the underperforming squad, he had attacked all parties at Spurs and this act of self-preservation proved the final straw with the axe falling days later.
The five most disastrous matches of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham tenure
Tottenham 0 AC Milan 0 (March 8, 2023)
Yet another tame display in a season-defining fixture edged Conte a step closer to the exit door. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg and with the Champions League the only cup competition Tottenham were left in, a memorable European night in N17 was required.
Instead, Spurs produced an insipid first-half performance that suggested they did not even realise they needed a goal. A similar pattern remained after the break and, while Cristian Romero was sent off late on for the hosts, Conte’s decision to withdraw attacker Dejan Kulusevski for centre-back Davinson Sanchez left the majority of 61,602 in attendance dumbfounded.
Kane did have a last-gasp header saved in what was essentially the home team’s only chance of note across 180 minutes of the two-legged last-16 tie, but another year without silverware was rubberstamped.
The five most disastrous matches of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham tenure
Sheffield United 1 Tottenham 0 (March 1, 2023)
A year on from losing in the FA Cup fifth round to a Sky Bet Championship play-off hopeful in Middlesbrough, history repeated itself for Tottenham with a late capitulation at Sheffield United.
Conte was absent while recovering from gallbladder surgery but was a key figure in the decision to rest Harry Kane and make five other changes from the weekend win over Chelsea.
The end result was a disjointed display where the Premier League outfit were toothless in attack and cut open with 11 minutes left when Iliman Ndiaye embarked on a mazy dribble before firing home the winner.
To add insult to injury, Sheffield United had made more changes than their opponents and this embarrassing exit virtually guaranteed another trophyless season.
The five most disastrous matches of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham tenure
Burnley 1 Tottenham 0 (February 23, 2022)
Conte threatened to quit after he watched Tottenham’s inconsistent form continue during the first few months of his tenure with a painful loss at Turf Moor.
In an extraordinary post-match press conference, the former Chelsea boss insisted his team needed to “pay attention to the relegation zone”.
He conceded the challenge at the north London club may be even too great for him, but months later he hinted this performance in front of the media was planned to get a reaction from the squad.
While it worked as Spurs pipped Arsenal to fourth place come May, it would prove a false dawn.
The five most disastrous matches of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham tenure
Mura 2 Tottenham 1 (November 25, 2021)
Three weeks into his reign, Conte truly grasped the size of the task at hand when Spurs collapsed to lose in stoppage time away to the Slovenian minnows.
Mura, who were the lowest-ranked team in the Europa Conference League, had lost all four of their matches in the tournament but stunned 10-man Tottenham despite a Harry Kane goal.
Conte afterwards admitted: “At this moment the level at Tottenham is not so high.” He went on to insist he was not a “magician” and perhaps as early as this the writing was on the wall that this marriage of convenience would not last long.
Antonio Conte has left a trail of destruction at Tottenham - where will he cause chaos next?
One of football’s finest tactical brains has been finessing a unique strategy for a while now. It seems forever on the brink of succeeding. And yet, however often or vituperatively Antonio Conte criticises Tottenham, they refuse to sack him and pretend none of his comments are about Daniel Levy and the board.
Perhaps it is an approach born of a mixture of pragmatism and desperation, rationalising their chances of a top-four finish are higher even with Conte setting fire to the building on his way out than without him. Or maybe Tottenham simply think the greatest punishment they can give him is to force him to manage Tottenham for the rest of the season.
Whichever, Conte’s exit plan seems a little needless, given he is leaving when his contract expires anyway; not so much by mutual consent as mutual discontent. But part two of his gameplan always promised to be harder, and Conte is making it tougher again. He has to find another club and one more suited to his particular demands and the danger is that he is making himself the best unemployable manager in football.
Conte has left a trail of destruction at Spurs - where will he cause chaos next?
The Spurs boss, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is in danger of becoming football’s best unemployable manager
How will Stellini fare?
Christian Stellini took temporary charge of the Tottenham team when Antonio Conte was recovering from gallbladder surgery earlier this season and did an admirable job.
He helped the club beat Manchester City, West Ham United and Chelsea all difficult fixtures. However, during his time in charge Spurs were defeated by Sheffield United in the FA Cup and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league, games they would have expected to win.
What does that say about Stellini’s prowess going forward? At the very least it shows that he can motivate the squad for big games but my struggle to keep the lackadaisical tendancies in check against the perceived weaker opponents.
Levy on Conte’s departure
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy made the decision to part ways with Antonio Conte but his assistant, Cristian Stellini, will step up as head coach for the rest of the season, and Spurs crisis man, Ryan Mason, will be his deputy.
Levy decided to focus on the job at hand which is to ensure Tottenham earn Champions League football next season. They are currently fourth in the table but their immediate rivals, Newcastle and Liverpool, both have two games in hand on the London side.
“We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” Levy said.
“We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”
The candidates to replace Antonio Conte
Mauricio Pochettino
The saying goes that you should never go back but there is a sense of unfinished business with Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham.
A sliding doors moment saw Pochettino sacked from the club in 2019 when he should have instead been backed in the transfer market. There is a growing sense of optimism that things may be different this time around and his potential return is something Daniel Levy could buy into.
The Argentinian would be a romantic choice to lead the rebuild which was taken away from him four years ago but he would have to completely revamp a squad that is arguably worse than the one he left behind.
The candidates to replace Antonio Conte
Michael Carrick
Some clubs have gone down the route of having a former player at the helm but that tends to bring mixed results. For every Mikel Arteta there’s a Frank Lampard or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Michael Carrick is proving his worth by dragging Middlesbrough back into the promotion picture in the Championship after just a short period of time in charge.
Lampard’s jump from Derby to Chelsea was too big of a leap so how would Carrick fare with such a big job so early into his career?
Carrick also took charge of Manchester United for three matches before leaving the club and went unbeaten, beating Villarreal in the Champions League and drawing with Chelsea in the Premier League before signing off with a 3-2 win over Arsenal.
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