Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Teegart]

I’m in a weird place where I agree with the premise of signing younger players in general, but the problem is I don’t trust Levy to allow Paratici and Conte to action that properly. Let me try my best to explain what I mean.

Say there are two talents that are walk in ready for the first team, both the same skill level and will make a difference right away. One is 26 and the other 22. The 22 year old will cost significantly more. If our plan is to go “our philosophy is youth, so we are not entertaining the 26 year old but we will pay what it takes to get the 22 year old in”, I’d be 100% behind that. Problem is, imo, we’ll look at the fee and think “hmm, too much, is there possibly option 3? A player who is 22, not as good as other players, but is cheaper and has ‘potential’ to be as good”.

So we’d end up with a lower tier of player but with the caveat they are younger on cheaper wages. That to me is against everything Conte wants. He wants ready made players for his system, be them 22, 25 or 28. If that’s the way it ends and we get tier 2 types, but who are still young, what’s the point in having Conte as manager?

I know people will say “what about Deki and Bentancur?” But let’s be honest, we got those deals purely because of Paratici and how many of these types actually work out like they have with us?

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Excactly why I'm loathe to spend good money on players who will be useless after he leaves.

Isn't this why we have a DOF for?

With Paratici as DOF - why would any player bought for Conte be "useless" when he leaves? Are any of the signings of last January, and last summer going to be useless if Conte leaves?

 

[rossdapep]

Just utterly unappealing.

I'll keep watching tottenham because I love the club and football, but i'm increasingly apathetic about the league and cups.

We don't buy the best young talent to sell on and reinvest, we don't buy mature players at the top of their game. We never really look like seriously challenging.

As long as Daniel Levy remains in charge I won't ever hold out hope that we'll win anything. So what's the point in getting emotionally attached? I'll watch games for fun, knowing we'll end up going nowhere.

so much for the stadium being a "game changer". What a waste.

I think your last statement is the one that is leaving us all apathetic about things.

Back in 2016/17 we were told that the club can't spend big until the stadium comes into effect.

At that time, United were a mess, Liverpool were starting to see the results of Klopp but Arsenal and United were way way off it and Chelsea would yo yo between good and bad seasons.

It felt like our time was coming and there was a chance to become a very competitive team.

Yet since the stadium opened we've bounced from one bad position to another with only Conte improving that and the club are still refusing to change their outdated model.

 

[brasil_spur]

I just don’t think Conte is making the most of what he’s got and by continuing to play a system in which several of our first teamer’s are incapable of playing, it’s not going to end well for Conte and/or the team.

You don't hire Conte to get him to make the most of what you have. You hire contact because he has proven success when implementing his playing style with capable players. He brings the style and tactical know how, as a club you have to supply him with the players.

If you don't want to do that then there's no point hiring him in the first place.

 

[rossdapep]

What bugs me is that Arteta failed and failed in regards to getting CL football or anything of note, yet he was continuously rewarded with 100m plus every window.

Conte turns a bleak situation into CL football and more revenues but is told the club won't spend on experienced players but only young players who have potential.

Where is his reward and incentive to keep going with us?

 

[McFlash]

And I don’t want to see “fans” from abroad who never go to matches try and tell fans that do spend their money following their club round country and Europe what to do.
So basically pipe down

Don't be a dick, every fan is entitled to an opinion and it's a global game now.

Since my life took a turn for the worse and I haven't been able to afford to get to a game for years, does that mean my opinion is not worth anything anymore?

Because someone's life took them overseas, should we now ignore them?

Because you can afford to watch every game, does that make you smarter and your view more important?

Does it bollocks.
You and your old-fashioned, ignorant mind-set should pipe down.

 

[Stamford]

Excactly why I'm loathe to spend good money on players who will be useless after he leaves.

Isn't this why we have a DOF for?

so who are we buying the players for? Genuine question. Because it hasn't been the last four managers. At a certain point surely you just buy who the manager wants and give them a fair shake at doing something

 

[longdistancespursfan]

Signing younger players like Romero and Deki is absolutely the way we should do things. Or Benny at 24/25.

We simply don’t have the infinite resources like City, Utd or Newcastle to buy 28-32 year olds for mega money on mega wages.

What we can do is buy the best 20-25 year olds, develop them and give them pay rises along the way to build a top side. Spend £100-150m consistently on players in this category and we will do well.

We can do this with good recruitment, good coaching and continuity. The problem is Conte doesn’t want to do this, he wants finished article players on mega wages.

The ironic thing is Arsenal have unfortunately shown us that buying young players and developing them is a perfectly good way to become a top team. They’re looking very likely to win the league or at worst finish second and they have a young team with a coach happy to buy younger players (20-25 years old range) and develop them. Exactly what we should be doing.

didnt conte want bastoni, gvardiol, vlahovic, zaniolo, mckennie so hardly all older players and players would fit in the criteria you mention of best 20-25 yr olds.

 

[Jamturk]

With Paratici as DOF - why would any player bought for Conte be "useless" when he leaves? Are any of the signings of last January, and last summer going to be useless if Conte leaves?

They don't seem to be the kind of players Conte wants if his latest statement is anything to go by.

[Fabrizio] Conte on January signings: “We will try to do something, but we have to follow the club’s vision”, ⚪️ #THFC “Tottenham want to invest on young players, as we did with Kulusevski and Bentancur. Talents but with accessible salaries. This is what we’ll try to do”.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

They don't seem to be the kind of players Conte wants if his latest statement is anything to go by.

[Fabrizio] Conte on January signings: “We will try to do something, but we have to follow the club’s vision”, ⚪️ #THFC “Tottenham want to invest on young players, as we did with Kulusevski and Bentancur. Talents but with accessible salaries. This is what we’ll try to do”.

Well that just makes your statement odder - if you base it on that, we are not buying players for Conte...we are buying players to fit Levy's philosophy.

 

[srups34]

Kane goes if Conte does, I'm sure of that.

And rightly so.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

And I don’t want to see “fans” from abroad who never go to matches try and tell fans that do spend their money following their club round country and Europe what to do.
So basically pipe down

You choose to spend your money how you please, but don’t ever assume the fans from “abroad” can’t afford to do the same. Or that it gives you some sort of higher standing than us. It doesn’t.

Also check your attitude when you’re replying to me, I’m not a child. If you’re offended, rubbed your two brain cells together and hope for a cohesive, intelligent rebuttal to come out and if one doesn’t, then keep your mouth shut.

 

[allatsea]

If Trix is right about Kane and Conte and I am sure he is then Bentancur, Romero, and Kuluveski will be next to go.

 

[brasil_spur]

And I don’t want to see “fans” from abroad who never go to matches try and tell fans that do spend their money following their club round country and Europe what to do.
So basically pipe down

Late entry for "shitiest post of the year" right here.

 

[carpediem991]

If Trix is right about Kane and Conte and I am sure he is then Bentancur, Romero, and Kuluveski will be next to go.

These players have long term contracts. No way we will allow them to leave. Life will continue after Kane, just like it did after Bale or Modric left. Of course we are way better off if Kane is part of the squad.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

Late entry for "shitiest post of the year" right here.

Be careful, he might call us poor again. Oh the horror.

 

[brasil_spur]

Dont we?

Lenglet’s always played in a back 4
Romero and Otamendi were solid in the WC final in a back 4
Emerson is a RB, not a WB
Davies is a LB, not a WB or that much of a CB

Davies Lenglet Romero Emerson

That back 4 would get mullered IMO.

Davies is not a quality LB, he's had a strong resurgence at LCB under Conte but even this season has looked slightly out of sorts at times. He's no top 4 LB for sure.

Lenglet looked shakey at Barca in a back 4, and they had better players around him than we do here. Quality looking CB in a back 3 though.

Romero - yep I agree he's looked solid in a back 4 at the WC.

Emerson - I think he would be a decent RB.

So that's half sorted the problem. We would need to sign a LB and CB still though. Given that right now we need to sign a CB and a RWB i'm not sure how that helps us, especially as Conte doesn't do back 4 systems.

Also there are some RWBs out there right now that would improve us and are gettable - Porro, Dumfires and Frimpong being the obvious ones (in that order).

 

[newbie]

2 players we would look a lot better a CCB and a Right wing back.

we need to get rid of a lot of defenders

add Maddison a CCB and a Rightwing back we would be mustard!

 

[dtxspurs]

I think our overall team speed is a pretty big problem right now as well. That lineup we rolled out yesterday was painfully slow.

I don't think you can play wingbacks with players who can't stretch the field.

 

[Danfunkel]

Well, if another project is the plan again, then Poch will be back in the seat before long. Would suit him to the ground.

It’s definitely time for a change all right, but with ENIC, not the coach.