Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

To be fair he's only a few months in.

He's inherited a frankenstein squad with systematic issues.

Impossible to cure that without a pre season and a couple transfer windows.

Klopps Liverpool were bang average for a fair while!

I’d maybe agree if he wasn’t crying in the press about being a winner and being better and bigger than Tottenham. Maybe if he came out and said he was committed and would be here next season but he hasn’t and instead his representatives are hitching his skirt at the likes of PSG.

 

[Metalhead]

No issue with the system or being attached and believing in it but when it's not working he needs to change something.

It wasn't really a defence or criticism TBF- it was just an observation.

 

[glacierSpurs]

I don't want quote anyone here but it's getting out of hand and appalling.

You guys can hate his substitutions and stubbornness in persisting with his formations etc, but to downplay his achievements is so unbelievably self-entitled. No wonder other fans hated us so much.

Him being one of the top coaches in the world is a fact. His failure here, if it ever was, wouldn't deny that. Klopp wouldn't be able to polish these turds into world beaters as well, so him not doing what some of you expected doesn't mean he sucks or overrated.

I know some of you are upset about reports of him being linked to PSG and couldn't stand his ranting when things go bad etc. But for goodness sake, the winning run we saw before Brighton showed us what could be possible if he got the players he can work with and build the team up. Isn't a rebuild what some of you wanted since Poch days? Where are the praises that we got two best signings in Bentancur and Kulu? Now we are possibly having a top top coach at helm doing that and some of you are crying over self-imagined scenarios of Levy not backing him.

If he's not given the time by us fans even if he wants to stay, there will be no other manager in this era who will be any different that you guys would want him to be, until the next generation takes over.

 

[slartibartfast]

Think people need to reign it in here.

By all means criticise tactics in recent games but come on, he's still an elite manager so have to stop this short termism knee jerk suggesting he can "fuck off".

Clearly he has a picture of who is patently not good enough to be here next season and the plans have been in place for weeks for recruitment which will be extensive. Will be a much different picture next season as opposed to inheriting a bunch of misfits without a proper pre season to condition and mould them into his way of thinking.

Agree but its so frustrating. Its what top managers do, stick with their philosophy no matter what. Even if it critically requires decent winbacks and we don't have any.

 

[Metalhead]

Think people need to reign it in here.

By all means criticise tactics in recent games but come on, he's still an elite manager so have to stop this short termism knee jerk suggesting he can "fuck off".

Clearly he has a picture of who is patently not good enough to be here next season and the plans have been in place for weeks for recruitment which will be extensive. Will be a much different picture next season as opposed to inheriting a bunch of misfits without a proper pre season to condition and mould them into his way of thinking.

Or 'overrated'. That was a classic post

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

Conte: we have to be proud.

Do we fuck. That didn’t wash with Nuno either.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

His post match interview was about as inspiring and interesting as that game today

 

[Aphex]

I feel conte is vastly overrated.

His best achievement was winning the league with Chelsea but that club have had incredible players for 2 decades now, sometimes the players throw the toys out of the pram and refuse to play for a manager and then when they like one, they raise there game and end up winning a major trophy. It has been the Chelsea way.

Winning league titles with Juve in that period was like anyone winning a league with PSG in france. It really is nothing to shout about.

He won the league with Inter last year when the chairmen gave them a very strong squad which also coincided with Juve falling off a cliff. The Italian league is also quite poor these days.

The good results we have had so far this season was more to do with Kane putting in incredible performances. This has been his only tactic hope Kane bales him out with his incredible link up play.

Conte has been a massive let down.

Nah I'm not having that, he's an elite coach. What is happening, is he'd wedded to a style of play that our squad simply isn't built for. We need multiple windows but I do have faith. He is stubborn though.

 

[Harrier]

Agree but its so frustrating. Its what top managers do, stick with their philosophy no matter what. Even if it critically requires decent winbacks and we don't have any.

Yep but when it’s so painfully obvious that one particular player is a major problem in that system, I think it’s only natural for the fanbase to question why he isn’t hooked.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

Absolutely disgusting performance the past 2 matches.

Negative, stubborn, completely uninspiring.

5 defenders and 2 dms and refusing to change shape and go for it the past 2 games has been a disgrace and has probably cost us CL football.

He might be a top coach but when the going gets tough he certainly doesn’t understand our motto, To Dare Is To Do.

 

[snakehipsspurs]

You say that but Deki played well when Doherty was playing LWB and Royal RWB. This narrative that Royal is the route of all our problems is not entirely true. Yes Royal is bad, and is a negative, but one player missing should not cause the rest of the team to fall apart. Deki has been a complete ghost last two games. That’s not to say Kane or Son were much better, but Deki was poor.

I agree he did play better in those games, but we were playing against sides who gave us space behind to counter attack in and he only had one man (usually a back peddling CB) to beat.

Now teams have figured out they can sit in against us, he has to face up 2/3 players every time and try and conjour something up himself as Royal is a passenger when we’re in possession. It’s time to give him support on that side so teams don’t have the chance to overload him and neutralise a whole half of our attack…

 

[srups34]

He needs to be sacked and replaced with Sean Dyche immediately.

 

[Metalhead]

Absolutely disgusting performance the past 2 matches.

Negative, stubborn, completely uninspiring.

5 defenders and 2 dms and refusing to change shape and go for it the past 2 games has been a disgrace and has probably cost us CL football.

He might be a top coach but when the going gets tough he certainly doesn’t understand our motto, To Dare Is To Do.

Tbf we have been lacking audere est facere for many a year.

 

[ILS]

Eriksen was asked by Jamie redknapp in an interview how do you stop Kane and son and his answer was "easy" and then laughed. We have been found out and need this world class manager to come up with a plan B.

He really whispered in Redknapp's ear "Let Emerson have the ball"

 

[nattydredd]

I think he must consider switching to a back 4 now. The players he currently has simply do not cut the mustard for his preferred system. We are simply too predictable and the players look bored.

 

[whenstevewentup]

How did he expect us to open up a stubborn defence by bringing on Sanchez for sess. Bring on begwijn and Lucas and have a go , a draw was no good so go for it . To just watch the game go by is baffling . What was that first half about , an injury stricken Brentford with nothing to play for wanted it much more than us .

 

[Verloc]

He's not above criticism.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

I don't want quote anyone here but it's getting out of hand and appalling.

You guys can hate his substitutions and stubbornness in persisting with his formations etc, but to downplay his achievements is so unbelievably self-entitled. No wonder other fans hated us so much.

Him being one of the top coaches in the world is a fact. His failure here, if it ever was, wouldn't deny that. Klopp wouldn't be able to polish these turds into world beaters as well, so him not doing what some of you expected doesn't mean he sucks or overrated.

I know some of you are upset about reports of him being linked to PSG and couldn't stand his ranting when things go bad etc. But for goodness sake, the winning run we saw before Brighton showed us what could be possible if he got the players he can work with and build the team up. Isn't a rebuild what some of you wanted since Poch days? Where are the praises that we got two best signings in Bentancur and Kulu? Now we are possibly having a top top coach at helm doing that and some of you are crying over self-imagined scenarios of Levy not backing him.

If he's not given the time by us fans even if he wants to stay, there will be no other manager in this era who will be any different that you guys would want him to be, until the next generation takes over.

Your spot on. As I posted prior I think he certainly needs to take the blame for last two games, he deserves it, but we wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for him.

It’s extra painful because we are in a race with Arsenal but we have to remember it wasn’t so long ago that we all were writing off this season completely and viewing it as little more then a glorified pre season. Yes I want top 4, yes Conte hasn’t been perfect, but he also doesn’t seem to have more then 11 players he trusts which puts him at a massive disadvantage when things aren’t going well or we have injuries.

Who knows what is going on with Bergwijn for example, they could have had a falling out, he might be carrying a small knock, nobody knows. There’s obviously a reason he’s not getting game time tho and that reasoning extends to all our bench.

It’s understandable to be frustrated, I get it, I am as well. But we have to remind ourselves that until Conte has a full summer window with proper backing we won’t see what he’s really capable of. He’s never been a “make the best out of the current situation” type of manager. He spends money on players that will allow him to play the way he wants.

The only thing I would take issue with is if there is any truth in him talking, however informally, to PSG about next season. Even if it’s a power play against Levy, that sort of thing can cause problems in a dressing room. There is probably no truth in it tho.

 

[Metalhead]

He's not above criticism.

Of course he isn't. It's just that there's a line between him being totally beyond reproach and ridiculous posts like 'he's overrated'.

 

[ultimateloner]

Not so much that, but three key aspects:

- They want someone that can make their superstars into a winning side. That isn't - in any way - Conte. He's shown at every club that it's a wing-back variant and they have to be the right players. He won't and has never made a tactic around a team, but rather a team around a tactic.
- They want someone submissive. Every manager they've had with a backbone has been sacked for not being a 'yes sir' type employee.
- They want to win the Champions League. That's his managerial cryptonite. He's never been past a QF, even when dominating Serie A, and rarely gets out of the group stage.

If he goes to PSG, everyone involve is a fool

I like your points. I haven't thought about it in as much precision and clarity as you, but the feeling is mutual.

Simply put Conte seems like a manager who wants players to play a certian way. I think he's much more suited to coaching a young team who would listen to him.

I can't see that happening in PSG, or indeed any top side. I just can't see super-star players changing their game for him.