Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Danny1]

Team is still not good enough to compete. Not enough creativity in midfield, and lacking in wingbacks and options up front.

Totally agree and Conte has stated it will need 2-3 more windows to get it how he wants.

That’s not an excuse for the poor performance mind.

 

[HildoSpur]

We clearly need several more players before we can really judge in my opinion. We are mid way through a total squad rebuild and we are what we are, a team in transition. This was always going to be a tricky season were we try to do what we can and hopefully get champions League.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

I don't understand Conte. To get to half time at 0-0 was a miracle. Why did he send out the exact same team and shape second half? Why did he leave it until 75 mins to make a change? And then one of those changes is a cb, and puts Sessegnon at rwb, then brings on Spence and Skipp with a min to go? Why?

Why is it other teams can bring in managers and they get their teams playing exciting football yet all we can do is constantly sit deep and pray for a counter? I absolutely detest this style of football. I really can't cope with it at all. I don't even care about losing but at least let the other team know they've been in a game and worked hard for it. I have no respect for this style of play. I have barely enjoyed our wins let alone our losses.

I just want to see us out play a team, a decent team. Just once and I'll be satisfied.

My only hope is he has a long term plan and is sacrificing performances for ingraining patterns. I bloody hope so anyway

 

[Wadec]

Conte is obviously a top manager, I don't doubt that at all. I do think we are on a knife edge with how this season plays out.

We have had our best start after ten games points wise, yet I would say we have been poor to average for large parts of the season. People keep saying performances will come etc but I think we are just as likely to stay collecting the points our performances merit.

I have said previously that I do think we can be a bit starstruck when it comes to Conte. That's us as fans, the club itself, and the media. I hope Conte is called out for doing nothing to change this game, he threw the towel in essentially IMO with the changes he made so late. That's two big games he has done it in now and I don't like it one bit, it's one thing aiming not to lose and being a bit safe in big games. However, to not try and change things and then make token changes in a big bunch doesn't sit right with me.

It's becoming a theme that every team we play has their best game against us. We need to start playing on the front foot more. Both in and out of possession, we are too easy to play against. I have zero expectation of us winning anything so I like to think I'm being realistic and not overreacting to things, I just don't feel we are playing like a Conte side should. Appreciate how hard the last few weeks will have been for AC and the staff/squad so this could be playing a part but I don't see how we can go to City and Pool like we did last year and be so brave yet this season we seem almost cowardly in games.

 

[ralvy]

Pochettino In.

Honestly, reading that felt kinda nice.

Gallardo would also be a good option before Juventus takes him.

 

[PrettyColors]

Am I the only one who’s unconvinced by the idea of 5 at the back with slow wingbacks at the highest levels? That’s what’s felled us so far. Wingbacks is one thing (which many top teams don’t employ I might add… I’m not convinced at all myself…) but you can at least understand the benefit when you’ve got livewires on the wing out there.

Perisic and Doherty lack dynamism, so playing on the counter is impossible, and Sess/Emerson lack technical ability and are incredibly easy to cut off and isolate.

Effectively they end up chasing shadows and running into the touchline for 89 minutes, and then lack the actual class to really put in crucial crosses or go for goal in the 1 minute that they are called upon to produce in the final 3rd.

 

[H-SF]

Team is still not good enough to compete. Not enough creativity in midfield, and lacking in wingbacks and options up front.

Don’t wanna hear this. We bought two wing backs in the summer, a 60m striker and another midfielder. If they aren’t good enough/ not being given a chance thags down to Conte, Paratici and co for bringing them in. All I heard in the summer was Conte didn’t need/want a creative midfielder so we can’t start using that line as an excuse.

 

[ultimateloner]

Conte will get us into CL. That's good enough for me. Even if it means losing to all our rivals.
He's a results-manager. He won't be fun to watch, just like his predecessors, because he doesn't have an ideology; he is neither Pep nor Klopp. He optimizes what is at his disposal.

I think spurs fans should just accept this. Playing on the front-foot etc isn't our optimal game-plan, given the players we have.

 

[glacierSpurs]

We’re not good enough for a title atm and he probably knows that

We all know that. But he shouldn't say it only when we lost.

And please, at least put up some offensive subs at 60+ minutes to change the game for a gamble. And not putting on more defenders to limit a scoreline of what, 2-0?

Ffs

 

[austinfh]

Judge him at the end of the season, but we seriously need to start getting a grip of these away games. It’s painful. We’ve now lost to United, Arsenal and Sporting, and we absolutely deserved to lose against Chelsea too.

Same could probably be said for the game against West Ham as well

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

My only hope is he has a long term plan and is sacrificing performances for ingraining patterns. I bloody hope so anyway

His football is turgid, negative and reflective of the last 3.5 years we’ve painfully endured across three different coaches.

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Conte will get us into CL. That's good enough for me. Even if it means losing to all our rivals.
He's a results-manager. He won't be fun to watch, just like his predecessors, because he doesn't have an ideology; he is neither Pep nor Klopp. He optimizes what is at his disposal.

I think spurs fans should just accept this. Playing on the front-foot etc isn't our optimal game-plan, given the players we have.

so we won’t be fun to watch, we won’t win anything, he doesn’t have an ideology (that’s bollocks btw- it’s just a negative one) and we will always lose to our rivals..... and you’re happy with that..?

Ok....

 

[THOWIG]

What worries me is the squad nucleus is the same we started boring negative football towards the end of poch is reign, then it hasn’t improved since don’t think we’ve played attractive football since the last season in white hart lane

Our recruitment in general, bar 2 or 3. has been poor for a while. We need the cash injection to compete or improve the scouting. I can't see how a manager who has played a midfield of Brozovic, Barella and Eriksen can't see that his current midfield isn't up to scratch.

 

[carpediem991]

Don't think its about we are missing two or three quality players in the squad, I would say our squad is not worse than Uniteds individually. All about mentality, attitude and outfox the opponent.

Just dont get when basically nothing really works you do not change shit until the 80th minute.

I am okay with three at a back, still think its curious a top class manager is not able to show flexibility to swap it into a 4 or another god damn system to at least try to cause the opponent new problems.

And after all that 80 minutes, how can Sanchez for Dier be your first swap, thats maximum pointless.

Still happy with Conte and how he deals our games against non top 7 teams, but sometimes, like today, he appears completely clueless. Sounds harsh, sorry...

 

[ultimateloner]

so we won’t be fun to watch, we won’t win anything, he doesn’t have an ideology (that’s bollocks btw- it’s just a negative one) and we will always lose to our rivals..... and you’re happy with that..?

Ok....

We will get top 4.

 

[EireYid]

We will get top 4.

I'd much rather win a a trophy then get a top 4 finish if it was a choice of one or the other. I've seen us finish top 4 enough, I haven't seen us lift a trophy in 14 years, that being the only one I've seen us lift as a fan. Give me a trophy any day of the week.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

I’m sorry but this is fucking nonsense. United are at the very beginning of a new project which has been ropey as fuck. They aren’t better than us in the slightest bit. Bullshit excuses.

 

[carpediem991]

We will get top 4.

Sometimes i question myself is that worth it to scrap all the creativity and fun of our matches?

Especially while standing in Frankfurt seeing another anti football 0-0.

I somehow enjoy Contes way and that he is here, but a lot of the shit happening is too predictable and obvious. I am still impressed how we managed to win such a lot even tricky games this season.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

The most concerning thing for me is how completely out thought and tactically out manoeuvred he was by a manager who has only been here a few months. It was a complete and utter domination. 28 shots on goal is embarrassing really, Rashford should have had a hat trick. And it was another situation where any decent team has found it reasonably easy to completely shut us down.

That being said we looked a lot better of late so we can’t get too worked up about loosing to Utd away. The nature of the performances was shocking and I can’t for the life of me understand why Conte waited until the 80th min to make changes. It did feel like Conte had accepted loosing in the 60/70th min. But now we just have to concentrate on the weekend and getting back on track. At least it’s another hard away fixture out of the way and I guess both their goals did actually come from deflections ether in the build up or the shot although really if it wasn’t for Lloris it could have been significantly more.

 

[carpediem991]

I’m sorry but this is fucking nonsense. United are at the very beginning of a new project which has been ropey as fuck. They aren’t better than us in the slightest bit. Bullshit excuses.

Agree, what a statement is that..