Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Joely]

This isn't his squad, he has not had a preseason with this team, so until the start of the next season (hoping he is still here) he has a free run. The issue I have is that you can see the system doesn't work that well, because the players are shit, so why is he being so stubborn and tactically rigid? Especially in games like today when we know how they are going to set up. What is wrong with giving Lucas or Bergwijn the RWB spot? Yes they are limited, but at least they can play better than Royal.

Agree, honestly feel he doesn't rate/trust a lot of these players to do the business every game. He has improved us but we are nowhere near the stage where I feel he truly has faith a lot of the players he is currently sending out won't let him down. We have players who can give you a 7/8 out of 10 performance but are quite capable of dropping to a 4/5 out of 10 performance in the next game and it won't just be a one off.

We just don't have what I'd call dependable quality outside of Kane, Son, Lloris and now what looks like Romero. Kulu and Bentancur (thought both were poor today) have started brightly but probably need more time to make full judgement.

Apart from that, likes of Dier, Sanchez, Davies, Hojbjerg, Moura, Bergwijn, Doherty are not guys that I trust to perform at a high level week in week out. Yes they'll have some good games/moments over the course of a season which give you hope they have turned the corner but they are quite easily capable of not turning up in games like today and having average games/stinkers. It won't just be the odd average performance, will be enough to cause dents in a season. Even someone like Reguilon is drifting into that group because after a bright start, he has been very patchy. Can carry some as squad players but becomes a problem when too many of them are starting regularly.

Throw in the likes of Winks and Royal who look completely out of their depth at this level, a Sessegnon who just can't get going and beginning to wonder whether his lack of confidence is maybe partly due to not trusting his body, I'm not sure it's possibly to extract much more out of this group.

 

[mil1lion]

I thought he could have been more positive and put Bergwijn in for Sess and made the Moura change earlier. I think these last 2 games just show he's cautious when a game is so tight. Maybe at 0-0 is happy to just stick it out and hope one of the key players nicks a winner. He hasn't made the best decisions last 2 games but he has also done a fantastic job to turn this team into a top 4 contender. He's done a lot more right than wrong so no point overreacting to the wrongs. One thing that really annoys me is the first half performances and how we clearly raise our game after half time. He must have a pre game team talk as well as a half time one so why do the players only respond when he needs to have a go at half time? Still not enough strong characters and winners in this team but nothing we didn't already know.

 

[gibbospurs]

I thought he could have been more positive and put Bergwijn in for Sess and made the Moura change earlier. I think these last 2 games just show he's cautious when a game is so tight. Maybe at 0-0 is happy to just stick it out and hope one of the key players nicks a winner. He hasn't made the best decisions last 2 games but he has also done a fantastic job to turn this team into a top 4 contender. He's done a lot more right than wrong so no point overreacting to the wrongs. One thing that really annoys me is the first half performances and how we clearly raise our game after half time. He must have a pre game team talk as well as a half time one so why do the players only respond when he needs to have a go at half time? Still not enough strong characters and winners in this team but nothing we didn't already know.

Yep. Something is a miss in the teams head going out for the first half. Day dreaming.

 

[gibbospurs]

No need to get carried away.

Either way.

Two months ago when we lost 4 in 5 league games and knocked out of the FA Cup by a Championship team it did not mean he was a bad appointment.

Two weeks ago when we climbed into 4th place and started racking up goals, got three points at the league leaders and went on a good streak it did not mean he would lead us to the title next season.

This has been a middling half-season with him in charge where in patches we look brilliant and in other patches totally devoid of any clue. Consistency is what Conte is all about and you can only really judge that when he gets to manage a full season from the start.

Rubbish. We’ve just spanked the last 3/4 teams. Something has happened somewhere. The whole team demeanour looks different.

 

[rossdapep]

I thought he could have been more positive and put Bergwijn in for Sess and made the Moura change earlier. I think these last 2 games just show he's cautious when a game is so tight. Maybe at 0-0 is happy to just stick it out and hope one of the key players nicks a winner. He hasn't made the best decisions last 2 games but he has also done a fantastic job to turn this team into a top 4 contender. He's done a lot more right than wrong so no point overreacting to the wrongs. One thing that really annoys me is the first half performances and how we clearly raise our game after half time. He must have a pre game team talk as well as a half time one so why do the players only respond when he needs to have a go at half time? Still not enough strong characters and winners in this team but nothing we didn't already know.

I imagine it's because the players are ready in terms of the training they had. Conte's prematch talk is probably to reassert that message and what they did in training. It's not always a blast to motivate a group.

Then, they got on the pitch and they are being pressed more than they expected to and those passes they were finding in training are being shut off.

They then play in a 'surprised' manner and don't have the capacity to go up a level to overcome it. There isn't any leaders on the pitch either who can kind of drag them to that level.

They then need a rollicking to shock them and add that urgency.

Unfortunately we've had too many players over the years who don't have that mentality instilled.

 

[rossdapep]

Rubbish. We’ve just spanked the last 3/4 teams. Something has happened somewhere. The whole team demeanour looks different.

No. It's just football.

Teams can suddenly just go off the boil as much as hit form.

The team had a few days off, so potentially got complacent. They've also come up against opposition who have packed the central areas knowing we are less of a threat down the flanks. We also have a lot of average players, limited players who can't play at a consistently good level.

 

[rossdapep]

A lot of coaches have an enormous belief in their system and won't change/compromise on it.

...and rightly so.

We all saw with Jose the mess it causes when you flip and flop when we you have a bad performance.

The key is to either work harder at it, make a slight adjustment or bring in new players if the previous 2 options don't work.

He's not had a summer window yet so that last option isn't possible. He's also severely limited due to the crap squad building we've made over the last few years.

 

[kent brockman]

I believe we have had zero shots on goal in the last two games. Against Brighton and Brentford.

 

[sidford]

He makes a big deal of the players having to suffer etc so I hope after his system has been found out that himself and his team are now suffering trying to come up with tweaks. To have an opposition player say it's easy to stop us has to hurt so let's see what he does to actually address it.

 

[spursfan77]

Well Inzaghi is much more "on the front foot" than Conte and he's not having issues with the squad he inherited.

The priority for me has to be 'intent' give Conte the tools, within reason, and show him we are serious so that he doesn't get despondent.

He left Juve cause they were refusing to push further so he could win the CL and league, he wanted total dominance and wanted bigger depth but Juve weren't prepared to go as far.

He left Chelsea cause they were buying players he didn't want and siding with the likes of Costa.

He left Inter cause they wanted to sell Lukaku and co to ease debts.

We are actually in a great position here. Everyone knows this squad needs vast improvement and investment. There's no reason why the club can't do it either.

Give him what he needs this summer and get him tied to a 2 year extension.

If he falls short of winning titles but comes close, double down and get him more players he needs.

That's the way to keep him at a club.

If he ends up winning us a title in 2 years, I think most would be sad to see him go but we would all be feeling great cause he will have finally got that monkey off our backs and given us something to really celebrate. That in turn would elevate the club. We could then have the pick of available coaches.

Spot on.

 

[spursfan77]

He makes a big deal of the players having to suffer etc so I hope after his system has been found out that himself and his team are now suffering trying to come up with tweaks. To have an opposition player say it's easy to stop us has to hurt so let's see what he does to actually address it.

I think It’s good that he is being questioned by journalists and these things are being pointed out publicly. He’s a proud man and determined. He won’t like being questioned and second guessed about his subs. If he’s the manager we all think he is then it will push him on to improve the team. We look like we need a spark to start firing again and it will have to come from him, we cant trust the players to provide it.

 

[sidford]

I think It’s good that he is being questioned by journalists and these things are being pointed out publicly. He’s a proud man and determined. He won’t like being questioned and second guessed about his subs. If he’s the manager we all think he is then it will push him on to improve the team. We look like we need a spark to start firing again and it will have to come from him, we cant trust the players to provide it.

He demands such high standards of players in all aspects so let's see how him and his staff respond to effectively being called out. Don't get me wrong the players are also to blame for the last 2 performances but to be completely nullified by Brentford & Brighton and being lucky to take a point from the 2 games is largely on the system.

 

[TwoSaintsComeMarching]

Doherty getting injured seems like it was a turning point. Shows the importance of wingbacks in Contes system. We need to upgrade both LWB and RWB and we will be much much better for it.

 

[sidford]

This Doherty thing is being over played, the last 2 games he played for us he played LWB and was adequate nothing more. Emerson played rwb in those games. This isn't down to one player being out, it's down to issues with the system, lack of substitutions & also the players being piss poor in last 2 games where they can't make simple passes.

 

[Delboy75]

Anyone know how his record stacks up with previous managers over first 23 games ? ( I think it’s 23 ) I think it was 1.91 pts per game before yesterday. It’s really hard not to react in the moment and forget the great run we had before Brighton. Hopefully it’s just a blip.

 

[sundanceyid10]

I just think some of our players think they are better than they actually are. Much as I loath Man Utd and Ferguson, he created a team where pressure was on players to perform ‘constantly’ if you don’t you are shipped out, everyone was kept on their toes. They have obviously lost all that and Man Utd have gone of the rails.

There is a complete lack of ruthlessness about our club, starting at the top.

 

[spursfan77]

He demands such high standards of players in all aspects so let's see how him and his staff respond to effectively being called out. Don't get me wrong the players are also to blame for the last 2 performances but to be completely nullified by Brentford & Brighton and being lucky to take a point from the 2 games is largely on the system.

I was just looking at the points compared to last year. I know we had Nuno for 3 months but is a 5 point gain on the same matches last season good enough? I’m undecided.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

Strangest thing about the last two games is that nobody in the team or coaching staff seem particularly bothered.

Considering how fired up and on a roll everyone seemed, it's odd that it's fallen so flat when it matters again.

Hoping we can find our spark again ASAP. ???

 

[wrd]

I'm just glad that we're within 2 points with 5 games left despite this current blip. Top4 races are typically like this where you think a team is in a great position to lock the spot down and then it flips.

A few weeks ago Arsenal were 6 clear, I'm sure we all thought being 3 clear of arsenal and us having brighton and them facing Chelsea that we would be 6 clear by now but we're not. Now with us having Leicester at home and Liverpool away, I'm sure it feels like Arsenal will pull away but I imagine results won't go as anticipated once again. Arsenal going to Newcastle away will have a massive bearing on top4. Even if we went into the NLD 5 points behind I'd still not be shocked if we could turn it around because of that Newcastle fixture.

I do think we can't continue as we have with Emerson though. I can see Kulusevski ending up RWB soon.

 

[ajspurs]

I'm just glad that we're within 2 points with 5 games left despite this current blip. Top4 races are typically like this where you think a team is in a great position to lock the spot down and then it flips.

A few weeks ago Arsenal were 6 clear, I'm sure we all thought being 3 clear of arsenal and us having brighton and them facing Chelsea that we would be 6 clear by now but we're not. Now with us having Leicester at home and Liverpool away, I'm sure it feels like Arsenal will pull away but I imagine results won't go as anticipated once again. Arsenal going to Newcastle away will have a massive bearing on top4. Even if we went into the NLD 5 points behind I'd still not be shocked if we could turn it around because of that Newcastle fixture.

I do think we can't continue as we have with Emerson though. I can see Kulusevski ending up RWB soon.

The ironic thing about that, and I know many will disagree, but as we are now Lucas in the side wouldn't be the worst thing.... If we were still our flowing, creative, effective patterns of play selves as we'd shown before the last few games I would say he's the last thing we need but for whatever reason, we're not. In fact, the last two games very much remind me of earlier in the season when Lucas was probably the brightest attacker on the pitch for us because we were so incapable of crafting out chances.

Of course I'd rather get clicking as a unit like we were not long ago but if that can't be reproduced I certainly wouldn't be against that idea. I think Bergwijn would be the 'tidier' option though and the ball retention on the side with him and Kulusevski will probably be quite good as they both hold it up and use their bodies well but I think Conte is reluctant to use him.