Antonio Conte has left assistant coach Christian Stellini behind.
Tottenham Hotspur said on the club website on the 27th (Korean time), “Coach Conte has left the club by mutual agreement. He qualified for the Champions League in his first season. We appreciate his contribution and look forward to future success. I wish you,” he officially announced.
“Christian Stellini will lead the team as acting head coach안전놀이터 for the remainder of the season, and Ryan Mason will serve as head coach,” he added.
This is the end of Tottenham’s 16-month reign under manager Conte. Conte joined the club in November 2021, replacing Nuno Santo. And it took 4th place in the English Premier League (EPL) that season and won the right to advance to the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL).
This season has been somewhat disappointing. The UCL, England FA Cup, and England Football League Cup (EFL Cup) were all eliminated, and hopes for the championship cup disappeared. All that remains is the EPL, which is in 4th place, but is fiercely pursued by Newcastle United and Liverpool.
The main reason for Conte’s departure was the ‘strong remarks’ at the press conference rather than poor performance. After the game against Southampton, Conte said, “We are not a team. I see selfish players on the pitch. Tottenham have not gained anything despite having the same owner for 20 years. Is it only a problem between the club and the manager? Not only the staff, but also the players have to take responsibility.”
Chairman Daniel Levy chose to break up, judging that Conte would not be able to motivate the players after the remarks. And rather than appointing an early manager, he decided to finish the rest of the season with the acting coach Stellini.
Some wonder followed. Stellini’s head coach is Conte’s division. However, with only coach Conte leaving and head coach Stellini remaining, a question mark was attached. In this regard, the British ‘Telegraph’ explained, “Coach Conte made the assistant coach Stellini stay in the situation where he left. He wanted to help Tottenham achieve their goal of advancing to the UCL next season.”
It is unreasonable to appoint directors Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique, and Mauricio Pochettino, who are being discussed right away. The initial expectation was that Coach Mason would become the acting manager, but the risk could be minimized by having Head Coach Stellini remain.
There are two advantages. Tottenham can buy time to appoint a successor manager, and take stable operation without sudden changes in the remaining 10 EPL games. Of course, there may be dissatisfaction such as tactical regret, but it cannot be denied that it is the best choice at present.