Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has been speaking to the Footballer’s Football Podcast about Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to sack Antonio Conte, and thinks it could have a ‘springboard effect’ for Spurs in the race for the top four this year.
Spurs announced on Sunday that Conte had parted ways with the club after 16 months in charge.
His former assistant Cristian Stellini will oversee the first team until the end of the season, with the help of coach Ryan Mason.
With just ten games to go, Tottenham currently have 49 points on the board and occupy fourth place in the Premier League table. Newcastle United are just two points behind and have two games in hand on the Lilywhites.
Further back, Liverpool have 42 points from 26 games. There’s an outside chance Brighton and Brentford could be included in the race for the top four, too, with both acquiring 42 points so far this season – Brighton from 25 games, and Brentford having played 27.
Wilson isn’t sure whether Spurs’ decision to let Conte go will be a good one or not, but he does wonder whether the Tottenham squad could play with a little more freedom now.
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He said: “It could go both ways. They could, like you say, wait until the end of the season to appoint a new manager which means the players are playing under temporary charge.
“That means they have a lot more control and freedom than they would if a manager had a set routine and philosophy in place.
“It’s a difficult one to say so far. Over the next few games, the next few weeks will probably determine whether it’s been a positive or negative.
“Tottenham are a top side regardless of the manager that’s in place.”
On the strengths Spurs possess, Wilson added: “The individual players have such quality that they can hurt teams whether they’re feeling down, no confidence and they’re not working for each other or they are. They’ve still been winning games as we’ve seen.
“It’s difficult. It’s a big push for everybody to get the top-four this season and I guess that’s what Tottenham are trying to do now, get that springboard effect and get rid of the manager to hopefully get them over the line.”
Spurs Web Opinion
This season has been a fascinating one for the neutral, and the race for the top four is so open right now any one of the teams mentioned here could take that coveted spot.
It’s great to have the points on the board and be in fourth right now, but Newcastle could easily take that away with their games in hand.
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