Antonio Conte looked like a man who had discovered, that cyber-hackers had simultaneously emptied all his bank accounts, and done so with such dexterity that the banks had just told him that they had no reason to believe he hadn’t moved the funds himself. And now he was explaining his situation to his wife.
Such was the change in the man’s demeanour, it was easy to lose track of just how many times he used the phrase, time and patience. The fact that he used the words ‘I’m not scared’ several times was equally a cause for concern.
The reality of the situation is one that most of us had anticipated some good while ago. After all, no amount of revisionism could explain how Tottenham’s turnover of managers began to positively cascade once Mauricio Pochettino was sacked. Mourinho hung on for 17 months. Then there was a further 2 months of trying to replace him. Finally, Nuno Espírito Santo agreed and only survived just 4 months before also being fired.
Around each sacking, we were fed a tale by footballing nitwits. Mourinho was a vile dinosaur. Nuno was a nice guy- dot-dot-dot. It has now taken Conte less than a month to realize he’s in the same sinking boat as the last 3 coaches.
Time and patience are normally aspects in life one has to ask for. In this instance, they are non-negotiable. ENIC have spent a very long time creating this situation, and these concerted efforts to neglect the team will take some time to turn around.
If I was Conte, I wouldn’t be scared either, it is painfully ironic that the Italian said that he wasn’t a magician. For many seasons, Spurs fans sang ‘he’s magic you know’ about Pochettino, who despite facing the diminishing returns of the club’s transfer activity head-on, still managed to secure Champions League football and reach a Champions League final. These close but no cigar moments were now many years ago. Since then, the turnover over players has been bitterly insufficient. Yes, I am certain that ENIC has spent the money it says it has. But was the money spent wisely? Were the players, which we acquired, relevant and insightful purchases that provided immediate strength and depth to the squad? The answer is a rather pitiful, rather meek, no they were not.
One can only imagine how uncomfortable Daniel Levy was watching the latest gaffer’s comments. Or maybe he wasn’t. Who either knows or cares.