Antonio Conte needed less than a full season in charge at Spurs to bring Champions League football back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Italian boss was able to guide his side to a fourth place finish, pipping North London rivals Arsenal to the final Champions League spot. Former coach Mauricio Pochettino was the last man to guide Spurs to a top four finish in the 2018/19 season, also finishing in fourth place. Things were looking bleak under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espírito Santo but Conte has resurrected this Spurs side. So, let’s take a look at how the former Chelsea and Inter boss has revitalised Tottenham.
Spurs’ Woeful Start
Spurs failed miserably in their hiring of Mourinho in November 2019, with the Portuguese finishing in sixth in the Premier League, being knocked out of the FA Cup in the fifth round and failing to get past the round of 16 in the Champions League in his first campaign. The ex-Chelsea boss somehow managed to last until April 2021, with Ryan Mason taking charge until the end of the 2020/21 season. Again, another disappointing year for the Lilywhites. They finished seventh in the Premier League, were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fifth round once more and also failed to get past the round of 16 in the Europa League. Not to mention another trophyless season as they lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Tottenham began the 2021/22 season with Espirito Santo in charge but the ex-Wolves boss lasted just four months, overseeing just ten Premier League games. The football looked dire, with a lack of any form of attacking intent, relying on the individual brilliance of star players Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. Spurs lacked fitness under Nuno and had covered the least ground in the league, something which Conte came into address immediately.
Enter Antonio Conte
Conte was appointed as Spurs boss in November 2021 and hit the ground running, despite there being plenty of work to crack on with. The Italian helped instill more attacking and creative play, whilst still maintaining a solid defensive structure, implementing his ever-present three-at-the-back system. Conte went nine games unbeaten to start his Spurs career, executing his strict approach from the off to help increase his players’ fitness levels. The change in attitude and spirit in the Spurs camp was evident – their 3-2 comeback win away to Leicester in January epitomised their shift in mentality – as two injury time goals by Steven Bergwijn turned a loss into a win.
However, Spurs did suffer a dip in form after Christmas, with Conte himself doubting his side’s ability to qualify for the Champions League if they continued in their current form. They had lost four out of five games at the end of January, heading into February, with Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at relegation candidates Burnley sparking a key moment. Conte went crazy after the defeat and his reaction to the result was a catalyst in Spurs’ fine run of form to end the season. He had publicly stated that he may not be the man to change the fortunes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, whilst speculation hot up that he would exit the club in the summer.
Antonio Conte is the only Premier League manager Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were unable to defeat. ? pic.twitter.com/xyiQGZpfwr
— NairaBET (@NairaBET) May 24, 2022
Nonetheless, Spurs ended the campaign with just one defeat in their final 11 Premier League games, picking up crucial wins against Arsenal, Burnley and Norwich to secure a top four finish. Much to the delight to the Spurs faithful, they were able to steal the final Champions League spot away from their archrivals Arsenal, the cherry on top to end the season. Spurs also kept three clean sheets in their final three games, scoring nine goals in the process. A true demonstration of the changes that Conte has made in such a short period of time.
Crucial Serie A Signings
We couldn’t not mention the signings of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in the January window when talking about the changes at Spurs this season. Conte looked to Serie A in the winter transfer market to bolster his side and the former Juventus men proved to be influential in Spurs’ change in fortunes. Kulusevski seems to be the final piece in Tottenham’s three-pronged attack, combining with Kane and Son. The Swede ended his half-season with 13 goal involvements in just 18 Premier League games, scoring five and assisting eight. A pretty impressive outlay, considering the commonality of players taking time to develop to the demands of English football.
Taking the pressure off of Kane has allowed the front three to flourish. Son endured a fantastic end to the season and finished as the Premier League’s joint-top goalscorer alongside Mohamed Salah, scoring 23 goals a piece. The South Korean scored ten goals in his last nine games to end the season, with Kane also scoring five goals in as many games. The offensive woes in place to start the season clearly dissipated by the end of the campaign.
What’s Next for Conte and Spurs?
Reports of late suggest that Conte will stay on as Tottenham head coach for the 2022/23 season. Conte has recently met up with Managing Director Fabio Paratici in Turin to discuss the Italian boss’ future and Spurs’ summer plans in the transfer market. Conte is set to be reunited with Ivan Perisic, with the Croatian in line to join from Inter. An unusual signing for Spurs, who typically look to younger players, but Conte is win now and wants experience in his team, as well as a man who has winners medals on his CV.
Of course, Conte is happy with the fourth-placed finish but he feels that it is beneath him and challenging for the title is his number one aim. Finishing fourth became a necessity and not a guarantee for him to stay on. Despite loving the facilities of the new stadium and the training ground, as well as the squad he is starting to build, Conte needed reassurances that Chairman Daniel Levy would be willing to take the next step.
A £150 million equity injection from owners ENIC will seemingly provide Conte with the funds available to take his side to challengers and to be able to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top. The injection will give Paratici more room to manoeuvre in the market, as well as signalling to Conte that the club are ready to challenge at the elite level and that their visions are aligned.