Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[THE SPURSBOY]

all questions to start about the TW

 

[wrd]

I just wonder if he's talking Gil specifically and then broadened what he was saying or whether he feels signing Gil was an error due to his stature.

 

[rossdapep]

Here's why.
I thought Lo Celso should be kept and worked with, as he's been more unlucky than incapable. Ndombele, not so much.
I believe Dele is too good and young to give up on, let alone be given away for next to nothing.
I don't think Kulusevski is ready to make an impact in a PL team with top 4 aspirations. Bentancur, I don't know him well enough.
Gil is obviously nowhere near ready, but he could be useful as a late impact sub with his speed and trickery in games we are chasing.
I believe that a great manager such as Conte should earn his money working with players and make them play better, like he has done with Winks et al. That's the whole point of having a top class manager.
With four first teamers out, and just two unproven players in the EPL in, I'm afraid that our squad is now too thin in numbers and quality.
We didn't do anything to bolster the defense, or get a better RWB, or finally find a backup for Kane.
We lost precious time chasing Traore, who I don't consider even remotely good enough.
We lost out to Liverpool for a player (Diaz) who could become our Bruno Fernandes.
We parted ways with the experienced Hitchen, who was pushed out.
Behind the scenes reports at Athletic and elsewhere, plus Conte's quotes, don't exactly reveal a happy war room.
We have a real chance for top-4 this season, and that can be a game changer. Did we go all out to chase this opportunity? I don't think we did.
Overall, I don't see myself as negative at all. On the contrary, I just might have been the only one in SC defending each and every Spurs player, even when everyone here calls for their head (Doherty, Winks, Dele, Dier etc). And every manager. Well, except Mou, who I thought was completely wrong for Spurs from day 1. And I was proven right.

Yeah. I can't say I agree.

Firstly, Conte's job isn't just to get the best out of what he has. His longer term job, is to evaluate and help create a squad that can compete for titles.

He has analysed the squad and came to a very quick conclusion that it wasn't up to scratch.

It's alright saying "He should be able to improve the squad as it is" but this is a guy who has worked with elite squads and made them succesful, he knows what it takes and he knows what we need in order to be successful.

If he's looking at the squad, he has to be honest. Part of his job is to be upfront and say it's not the standard he needs.

I don't for one second believe he's asking for mountains to be moved. I don't think he'll be demanding 80m players are bought. He's asking for smarter decisions.

His remit is to win us titles and get us back in the top 4. It's totally unreasonable to ask him to work with this squad and achieve it with what he currently has. We have all been saying it.

As for the players you mentioned.

How much money and faith have we given to Lo Celso, only for him to constantly been missing. He has managed to be fit for Argentina. It's not cause he's not a good player, it's down to commitment. It works both ways. The coach shows he's willing to help the player improve, but if the player doesn't show the same then get him out.

Ndombele - how many more times do we have to have this debate?

Alli - Nearly four years now simce Dele showed the consistency and quality. Football moves quickly, if you sit and hope, you fall behind very quickly.

 

[JW72]

We lost precious time chasing Traore (1) who I don't consider even remotely good enough (2).

1) Only if we chase one player at a time
2) You may not have done, but presumably one of the planet's most successful football coaches, a scouting team and an experienced DoF did consider him good enough....

 

[mpickard2087]

Yeah it's not hard to work out what he's saying.

People attributing his words in relation to Ndombele and Lo Celso, but he's pretty brutal in his thoughts about Gil too - Says he's talented and a nice boy who he likes, but pretty clear from his comments Conte thinks we paid way too much for him, hints he wouldn't have signed him in the first place if he'd been around, and he doesn't think he's cut out for both his and English football - certainly at present, and remains to be seen in the future.

 

[spursfan77]

He’s happy about the window, which is the main thing. That’s all what we wanted, isn’t it?

 

[spursfan77]

Newsflash….he’s had a haircut!

 

[THE SPURSBOY]

talking up Kulu for the RWB role

 

[Mark_147]

Well. I hope for Conte's sake that Kulusevski and Bentancur hit the ground running and pull up trees. Gil got very limited opportunities and LoCelso had barely got back from injury so had little time to impress. They were shipped out pretty ruthlessly and I'm OK with that but they weren't given much of a chance.

Lo celso was given 2 and half years.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Well. I hope for Conte's sake that Kulusevski and Bentancur hit the ground running and pull up trees. Gil got very limited opportunities and LoCelso had barely got back from injury so had little time to impress. They were shipped out pretty ruthlessly and I'm OK with that but they weren't given much of a chance.

Conte saw them every day in training.

They had plenty of chances to impress.

 

[ajspurs]

His comments do fill you with a lot more confidence though, don't they?

I mean, had it been Nuno or another stooge, they would probably defend the decisions or be very clear about what needs to happen.

With Conte you get a strong impression he knows exactly what is needed and that we will be targetting players who fit what we need in order to get back up there again

Yep. It actually scares me to think how we would have proceeded as a club if we had a yes man in the seat. How much longer would we have persisted with Ndombele and Lo Celso? How many more chances would Dele get? What sort of players would we have ended up targeting etc.

It's such a blessing that we have someone as talented, ruthless, highly regarded and brutally honest as Conte right now. Super important for us as a club with where we're currently at.

 

[Jack2]

He left already...?!?

 

[dbspurs]

Yeah it's not hard to work out what he's saying.

People attributing his words in relation to Ndombele and Lo Celso, but he's pretty brutal in his thoughts about Gil too - Says he's talented and a nice boy who he likes, but pretty clear from his comments Conte thinks we paid way too much for him, hints he wouldn't have signed him in the first place if he'd been around, and he doesn't think he's cut out for both his and English football - certainly at present, and remains to be seen in the future.

Yep. He basically said that when you sign a player (especially for the Premier League) you have take a lot of factors into consideration not just whether they are a good skillful player or can make an assist. You need to consider physicality and mentality.

 

[SpartanSpur]

It seems like he likes the path we took during the window and offers that little bit of assurance that we will stay on that path. Very reassuring.

I guess we'll no for sure at 10.30pm when any embargoed bits come out but it certainly feels that way. He said the two new signings are good for 'us'. Not sure if he has used that before when talking about the club.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Hes basically saying we’ve made mistakes in the past, huge ones, and we can’t afford to do it again. It’s fair enough and it’s the truth. Why would they have people up in arms, it’s what 99% of spurs fans have been saying!

Exactly. I don't think he is saying anything that I haven't read hundreds of times on here.

On Gil, I didn't read it as him saying he doesn't have a future with us, just that he isn't ready to contribute in the short-term.

I personally don't think we made mistakes with Ndombele/Lo Celso - they just don't fit Conte's 'vision'(as he puts it) but they clearly fitted Poch's. Problem is we didn't give Poch the chance to work with them.

There is always a natural churn of players when you start changing managers as often as we have in the last couple of seasons.

 

[Aphex]

Madness to see some Spurs fans still thinking Dele needed more perseverance, haha. How much longer did people want? Four years and four diferent managers. He's a busted flush.

and Lo Celso and Ndombele, oh please!

Gil, talented but rightfully there are question marks about his suitablity to the PL, he needs to be able to cope with the intensity and pace and power of the league. Not written him off at all but not sure he will ever suit this league, maybe maybe not, unsure under Conte though, doesn't seem his profile of player.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Madness to see some Spurs fans still thinking Dele needed more perseverance, haha. How much longer did people want? Four years and four diferent managers. He's a busted flush.

and Lo Celso and Ndombele, oh please!

Gil, talented but rightfully there are question marks about his suitablity to the PL, he needs to be able to cope with the intensity and pace and power of the league. Not written him off at all but not sure he will ever suit this league, maybe maybe not, unsure under Conte though, doesn't seem his profile of player.

You say that but I don't think Gil is a million miles away from the characteristics of Pedro - who Conte worked with Chelsea. It really just is the physicality that is holding him back. Hopefully the club have given him a specific programme to follow so he can come in ready to contribute, if not next season then the season after.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Here's why.
I thought Lo Celso should be kept and worked with, as he's been more unlucky than incapable. Ndombele, not so much.
I believe Dele is too good and young to give up on, let alone be given away for next to nothing.
I don't think Kulusevski is ready to make an impact in a PL team with top 4 aspirations. Bentancur, I don't know him well enough.
Gil is obviously nowhere near ready, but he could be useful as a late impact sub with his speed and trickery in games we are chasing.
I believe that a great manager such as Conte should earn his money working with players and make them play better, like he has done with Winks et al. That's the whole point of having a top class manager.
With four first teamers out, and just two unproven players in the EPL in, I'm afraid that our squad is now too thin in numbers and quality.
We didn't do anything to bolster the defense, or get a better RWB, or finally find a backup for Kane.
We lost precious time chasing Traore, who I don't consider even remotely good enough.
We lost out to Liverpool for a player (Diaz) who could become our Bruno Fernandes.
We parted ways with the experienced Hitchen, who was pushed out.
Behind the scenes reports at Athletic and elsewhere, plus Conte's quotes, don't exactly reveal a happy war room.
We have a real chance for top-4 this season, and that can be a game changer. Did we go all out to chase this opportunity? I don't think we did.
Overall, I don't see myself as negative at all. On the contrary, I just might have been the only one in SC defending each and every Spurs player, even when everyone here calls for their head (Doherty, Winks, Dele, Dier etc). And every manager. Well, except Mou, who I thought was completely wrong for Spurs from day 1. And I was proven right.

Good thing we don’t have you at the wheel ?

 

[curlacious]

He just talks honestly - and speaks sense.

We couldn't have a better person overseeing the rebuild of the rebuild.

 

[Dakes]

He's pulling no punches here about Lo Celso and ndombele!

Someone with clout had to say it.