Tottenham Hotspur are still mulling over whether to sack their manager Antonio Conte during the upcoming international break, after the Italian’s remarkable outburst in his post-Southampton press conference, according to The Telegraph.
Conte has been with Tottenham since November 2021 and enjoyed a successful first season in charge, leading the club to a fourth-placed finish to secure Champions League football once more.
This season has been far more difficult, though, with Spurs struggling to put together a run of positive results and many fans being frustrated by the performances on the pitch.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign, it has been heavily suggested that Conte and Spurs will part ways in the summer (Daily Mail).
The timeline of Conte’s departure may well have been accelerated after the 53-year-old reacted negatively to his side drawing against Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is said to be seeking the opinion of some of his closest confidants over the current situation and sources suggest he could sack the Italian during the international break with the north Londoners not back in action until they face Everton at Goodison Park on April 3rd once he has fully weighed up his options,
Conte said following the 3-3 draw at St Mary’s as quoted by the Irish Times: “For me it was not a penalty. But the worst situation is what was happening on the pitch. What was happening in the last few months. What is happening in my second season”
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“I think that it’s the right moment to speak because I think that after this performance, for me this is unacceptable. We are winning 3-1, in control and concede two goals and Fraser [Forster] made saves. It’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team. We are 11 players that go into the pitch.”
He then turned his focus on his players: “Before today I try to hide the situation and improve the situation with words. About tactical and technical, it’s one situation, another is the desire, the fire that you need to have in your eyes, your heart.
“You need to have this in every moment. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve.”
“The club has the responsibility for the transfer market, the coach has the responsibility. But the players, where are the players? I see only 11 players that play for themselves,” he continued.
“We don’t have spirit, we’re not putting heart into the pitch for the badge or the sense of belonging,” he said.
“If we don’t have this we will finish the season really badly. It was a clear problem today but it’s the end of a cycle of bad results. The fans deserve much better than this team.”
On the club, he said: “It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment. Until now I try to hide the situation but now, no, because I repeat I don’t want to see what I have seen today.”
He concluded: “Everyone has to take their responsibility. Not only the club, the manager and the staff. The players have to be involved in this situation because it is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change.
“They can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I honestly cannot see a timeline where Antonio Conte stays in this job after those comments. In many ways, I agree with what he said, but you simply cannot be so openly and aggressively critical of the players and the club and expect to maintain a good relationship with those you work with. Levy has to sack him.
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