Tottenham sacks Antonio Conte, names Stellini interim manager
Tottenham officially parted ways with manager Antonio Conte on Sunday. The decision, according to a club statement, was a mutual agreement. Cristian Stellini, who has managerial experience with Spurs this season, will serve as interim manager of Tottenham for the remainder of the season.
This comes after days of wondering about the future of the Italian’s position in north London. Just before the international break, Conte blasted his players for a lack of effort in a 3-3 draw against Southampton.
In that regard, Conte’s sacking is not too much of a surprise. Tottenham currently sits inside the top four of the Premier League table. However, Liverpool, Newcastle and Brighton are all within striking distance. Spurs have played at least two more games than each of those clubs. Yet, the gap the club holds is no more than seven points.
That is not the only measure of disappointment this season for Tottenham. In addition to an up-and-down league campaign, Spurs are now out of every cup competition. A 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest took the side out of the Carabao Cup. Then, a loss at Championship side Sheffield United spelled the end in the FA Cup. Spurs did make it past the Champions League group stage. Still, a 1-0 loss on aggregate made the club’s wait for a trophy likely extend to 15-straight seasons.
Stellini replaces Conte as Tottenham manager again
At one point in the season, Tottenham was surging towards success. Four wins in a five-game stretch during late January through February in the league had Antonio Conte nominated as Premier League manager of the month. However, that was during the time where Conte was away from the club due to health issues.
The manager that oversaw Tottenham instead of Conte was Cristian Stellini, the same person who will work as manager for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign. Stellini, a member of Conte’s staff at Tottenham, Inter Milan, Juventus and Siena, was the manager of the club during its four wins during that successful stretch of games. Conte was the Tottenham manager for the 4-1 loss at Leicester.
Stellini faces a tall task of keeping Spurs in the UEFA Champions League race. However, it is an opportunity for him to prove himself among the candidates Spurs may want to hire in the summer. Those names include Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino and Oliver Glasner from Eintracht Frankfurt.
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