Conte will make Tottenham the champion
Last year, Conte was asked to whom he was dedicating the long-awaited Scudetto of the Milan club. Antonio certainly won’t die of modesty:
I dedicate the Scudetto to myself. I know very well that in two years we all have had a difficult journey. I had to extract my personal maximum. There were moments when I had doubts about conquering the top, but we were strong enough. We were all good, even me.
You can see the irony, because Conte has a strange sense of humor. Apparently, Tottenham’s lawyers have even forbidden him to tell jokes about his wife at press conferences, lest the sponsors turn away. And without Antonio, Italy’s top trophy has turned away from Inter, although Inzaghi has done a fine job. But a year ago Milan were twelve points behind their neighbor, and yesterday they were two points ahead.
Conte makes the difference. Calhanoglu hoped he could win the Scudetto at Inter, unlike Milan, but he missed again as the Turkish playmaker came second in Serie A twice in a row. Coach Antonio came first in Italy four times, not counting the five championship titles as a Juventus player. But in the APL he also managed to become a king – in 2017 his Chelsea came to the finish line first, ahead of just Tottenham. Let’s remember one fact: Spurs have been in the top four five times in the last seven seasons. Clearly not the weakest candidate for sensation.
Conte was going to resign from Tottenham
It’s hard to be a soccer god in perfectionist hell. It’s not easy to work with a team that hasn’t won anything since the days of Juande Ramos and League Cup success back in 2008. It is not easy to cope with a team where Mourinho and Espírito Santo have worked, because they have their own rules. At one point, Conte even considered leaving, as he felt he was cornered by more silly Spurs-style defeats.
Antonio, after all, was expecting to be called up to Manchester United after Sulsher’s dismissal. But the Devils’ management were scared of an authoritarian coach whose arsenal includes a whip. Conte has had silly defeats with Tottenham, which he himself cannot explain. But he also remembers how, in November 2020, Inter fans called for him to be fired. The Milanese club was in sixth place with a measly 15 points in eight games, and they lost in the Champions League to Real Madrid. Conte conceded that he would not last in his post until Christmas.
Six months later, Antonio was celebrating the Scudetto with Inter along with fans demanding his resignation. And while Tottenham are not as stubborn a team as Milan, they too have only one defeat in the last eleven rounds of the APL. Only two worlds, but one against Liverpool – Conte has already affected the English title. Could have beaten Manchester City in February and then given three points to Klopp. Then yesterday’s epic denouement of the season would have led to tears from City fans, not Liverpool.
Playing in the league after Arsenal’s gifts
Conte’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League were recently estimated by analyst programs at less than 14%. It was enough for Arteta to score three points in one of the lost matches. Back then, even Spurs’ successful streak of scoring three or five goals a night had no bearing on anything. They were heading to the Europa League, where Ronaldo would play Manchester United. Instead, the Canaries began to lose and Spurs gave up a detrimental practice, stumbling only once against Brighton.
Conte still has a lot of work to do. Against the named midfielder, Kane and Son’s team gave the ball away, failed to take a single accurate shot at another’s goal and looked defensively the way they did at times under Pochettino – the Seagulls created chances and took advantage of the glaring mistakes of a strong opponent. The coach understands that there are big challenges ahead, but for now he is teaching Tottenham to work in a 3-4-3 scheme, betting on Kulusevski and Bentancourt’s desire to prove themselves in the APL, with the usual heroes – Son and Kane – at the center of the composition.
Harry realized that he is unlikely to leave for another club, as Manchester City chose Holand. Xavi is waiting for Lewandowski, who is actively burning bridges with managers in Munich. And Bayern have no desire to overpay for the Englishman. Kane’s contract with Tottenham is for two years, Levy will ask for at least 100m euros. Unless Manchester United take a bite. But there are no guarantees, and in London, he is next to a tough Son – he scored 23 goals in the APL, not once distinguished from the penalty box, there was a ticket to the Champions League.
The idea of a championship could revitalize the Spurs
It takes something insanely brave to give an unlucky team a taste of life. It is clear that Spurs will be outsiders in the championship fight, even if they cut into it. Even Chelsea are closer to a breakthrough and championship if the new boss doesn’t do anything stupid and Tuchel remains the head coach. And Manchester United ten Hague is not written off either, although morale is even worse there than in North London.
Conte knows how to make underdogs champions. “Chelsea finished in tenth place before the title. “Inter were close a year away from triumph, but it took ten seasons before Conte made them believe in success. “Tottenham has never been first in the APL, and the last time they won the English championship was in 1961. But Conte can set himself the task that Ranieri did with Leicester’s squad.
“Spurs are clearly more powerful financially and football-wise, so everything depends on Paratici and Levy. In case of a successful summer transfer campaign, Conte will have players ready to leapfrog, which happens from time to time in the APL. Liverpool were at first fourth – two points behind Tottenham – later rose to second place (two points short of the title) and then won the championship.
Guardiola and Klopp remain, which means fine-tuning. Conte, on the other hand, can take risks, he will not be judged for bold and unfortunate decisions. Just as he won’t be judged for a decent effort with a second-place finish, for example. In the Champions League, too, they were not expected to finish in the final, but they made it to the decisive match. Now on principle Atletico need to find their fabulous season in the domestic tournament.
Conte will definitely listen to an offer from Paris
Talk of a champion Tottenham always retains a touch of soccer humor. So does talk of an Arsenal win. But anything can happen in soccer, and Conte knows that. If smashed tenth-placed Chelsea glued to the first team in the APL, then with Tottenham he will also try. This is the toughest challenge of Conte’s career, but also the most interesting.
Two of the three defeats to the champions from Manchester City were inflicted exactly by Spurs, and the second time with the participation of Conte. Or will Antonio leave in the summer and all dreams collapse? A logical question. Tottenham’s winning streak leads Conte to reflections that he allowed even out loud. Antonio considers himself a world-class mentor. Consequently, he sets himself big goals.
If he stays at Tottenham, he will issue an ultimatum to strengthen the squad for serious tasks. Knowing Levy, we could get to a conflict which would result in Conte’s departure. Antonio has been linked with PSG, but it will be a dangerous adventure. Perhaps the Italian should bring the London project to fruition, where he has tactical freedom, savvy players and prospects. “Spurs were fourth in a bad season for themselves, capable of more.
FizzslotsNEWS
