When a coach has hit tough, even the respites feel as if they are false ones… This game, in which Spurs are overwhelming favourites, is lacking a sense of straightforwardness. Heung Son-min is injured.
If Harry Kane was to be rested as per Antonio Conte’s presser, then one would suspect that the Italian might now opt for a front 3, of Dele Alli, Bryan Gil, and Lucas Moura. With Dele almost certainly playing behind or to the side of the Brazilian and the Spaniard. Who knows.
The core of Conte’s defence has few options from which to deviate, and the probability of Sanchez, Dier, Davies, or indeed all three being involved will be high.
Sessegnon might return to give Reggie a break, and the same for Doherty, starting over Royal.
This is not a game for Conte to achieve anything less than a resounding win. Newcastle United were beaten by a goal to nil by Cambridge earlier today, a salutary warning if ever there was one.
Yeah, because everyone can not always agree even in the face of facts one should be able to express their point of view without being labeled a lackey. Kane has scored many goals, winning 3 golden boots, when was the last time he scored an important goal for Spurs. He has shrunk on all big the occasions. So many games all we need is one of those goals to send us on our way or hold serve and he has not delivered. Levy, maybe bad, but players and managers has stunk up the joint on the field of play, unable to step up when it matters most. Jose famous words, “the chairman has given me all I need, we are 2 deep at every position”. His negative football, playing with the handbrake up did us in after starting out with free flowing football. Poch in the last 3 years could not make an in game tactical move to save his job. His insistent on making 85th minute subs burnt the starters out. If the starters could not win a game we basically had no chance. In the year Leicester won we were unbeaten for a stretch of over 12 games that garner just about the same amount of points losing leads in the dying moments as we could not defend. Starting Kane in CL has changed the course of the club. We could have lost that game, but the facts still remain, we were behind the 8 ball coming out the dressing room. So we had our moments during this brutal period under Levy, lots of it came on the field of play.
I think Tanguy starts and Conte also starts Japh to try to restore his confidence. And maybe one of the U23 lads. Need to rest the “stars” for Wed if possible.
Cheers H!
Done!
Absolutely right!
I written a couple in the past, but haven’t had time recently.
Better than some of the Levy supporting faeces we’ve had on here in the past.
Keep contributing, new faces are always welcome or perhaps you are not so new!
All very true and succinctly written. It seems the whole world and his brother know what is wrong with our afflicted club except the people who really matter and seem reticent to change the downward spiral we are in.
Either Levy changes his ways promptly, this window, or he is going to be the target of a lot of anti Levy/enic hostility if Conte isn’t supported the way he was obviously promised he would be. We know that fact because of the change of heart he had when joining us at the second time of asking.
Unfortunately Levy speaks with forked tongue, but he can only get away with that so many times. The stadium after the loss to Utd debacle was not a pleasant place for him to be, and I believe led directly to him going back to Conte presumably with his tail between his legs.
That revolt will be as nothing to if he decides to screw over Conte. You have been warned Daniel, change your sickening ways or feel the wrath of 60,000 fans baying for your blood.
Thanks!
Good post young man, although I agree with every thing you have written there is nothing in your post that hasn’t been said before. It is the transfer policy of clubs that generally dictates their success, coupled with their wage bill although someone will undoubtedly allude to Leicester winning the league. We got fairly close under Poch with both a limited transfer budget and wage bill but he couldn’t continue turning water into wine. We should adopt a new transfer policy that compliments our “world class facilities” with only buying players that would also get into a top four side. The odd punt on a young unproven player should be just that but only after we have bought proven CL contenders. I don’t think Levy has much wriggle room left, certainly with the fans and perhaps Conte is the man to change his MO but don’t bet on it.
Hi H, please publish this as a guest blog if you deem fit. Thanks!
Antonio Conte’s appointment as head coach came as a welcome boost to all Tottenham fans, but for me personally, it was more due to the fact that you know the Italian will make demands that he will insist need to be met.
Pochettino was actually ‘magic you know’ – year on year Champions League qualifications, cup semi finals, a fateful Champions League final all came and went, but those above failed him when he needed them the most; ‘I need new furniture’ was the cry. ‘Squeeze the pips out of what you’ve got’ was the response. The never ending promise of building (under financial constraints) was well and truly in full swing.
I felt similar to Mourinho’s incoming as I do to Conte’s. A man who wouldn’t accept second best, who would make huge demands from those upstairs, but not without baggage – finally someone to put pressure on Daniel Levy. However discontentment on the terraces and more miserly player recruitment (forgetting Gareth Bale HUGE wages) gave the board an easy way out. Failing to bring in Luis Campos as director of football, to create a buffer between Jose and the board was an oversight which may have eased some tensions behind the scenes. But in hindsight, and judging from his recent form at Roma after substantial investment, perhaps his most ‘special’ days have now past him by.
Nuno’s time came out of social embarrassment, which ended even more embarrassingly! A chairman must wholly trust a manager in his decisions, it’s fundamentally essential – buying and selling players is an expensive business – which is why Fabio Paratici was brought in to oversea footballing matters. However this has so far resulted in more ‘jam tomorrow’, so called ‘players for the future’ recruitment. This did nothing to ease the burden on the already beleaguered looking boss, full of ‘We’re gonna make you proud’ bull from the outset, and was maybe the most critical factor in the shortly lived, ill fated demise of the Portuguese.
Then came Antonio Conte – no building, no baggage, no bull. A man who insists on success wherever he goes, and whilst he has commented that it has taken him 2 months to assess the quality of the squad that he inherited, I believe he knew, by and large, who he could count on from the first minute he walked into Hotspur Way.. He’s a proven winner who more than knows his onions.
In the last few days, we have heard some reports in the media that Singaporean billionaire Forrest Li has been invited to ‘invest’ in the club; this is an invite from an investment company to invest in their investment! It’s similar to one of those people who go on Dragon’s Den to ask for financial assistance because they don’t want to risk their own money – quite understandably, they’re usually met with short shrift.
Now is the time for Levy & Lewis to put up or shut up. If the results of their rumoured meeting in the Bahamas wasn’t a resounding ‘back Antonio to the hilt’ that was underlined several times, then we may as well all pack up and go home. Deloitte darlings pleading poverty won’t wash! What has been happening with Gareth Bale’s weekly wages since he left? Because the last time I checked Harry Kane was still our only striker. 1 trophy under their leadership isn’t what most would call a resounding success story, either.
We’re always fed the line that ‘January is a difficult window’ – no one cares, no more excuses, just do your job! Presumably all the other windows have been too difficult as well then, no!? Most grown up supporters aren’t worried about making a handful of signings, it’s about making the right signings – quality over quantity, ready to do the business from day 1. Investment in the future is all well meaning, but the green shoots made under Conte so far will be trampled over if investment is not made for the here and now. Cut your losses, clear the deadwood, breathe in Conte’s rich aromas of success.
So far we’ve been linked to the same players that we were in the summer, which I find rather disconcerting – Adama Traore, Weston McKennie, Dejan Kulusevski to name a few. Now I don’t know either of them personally, but surely there’s a bit of differentiation in what Conte looks for in a player than what Nuno was after, right!? Or perhaps this ‘brave new world’ is all down to Don Paratici after all!?
Conte’s most recent presser was concerning, but his demands are really rather reassuring, and I’d expect more of the same rhetoric until the promises that were obviously made to him on arrival are delivered. He also spoke of his short term contract, and was clever to turn the question around saying that the club need to feel satisfied with him too. I don’t think there is a supporter who isn’t satisfied with his work so far – Passion, desire, hard work is a mantra never under appreciated by a paying public.
And in essence, that’s just it.. this is a manager that expects nothing but the best, who is adored by the fans. This is something that you could not say about the demanding Jose Mourinho or the lost Nuno Espírito Santo. The good news is come Monday, there are still 3 weeks to carry out the required surgery on the squad, and that Fabio and Antonio have already established a strong working relationship previously at Juventus. They should be well acquainted with each other’s expectations by now you’d like to think.
The truth is we have squad on life support after years of neglect and if Daniel insists on drip feeding resources once again, Conte will simply cut the cord and move on. If that happens, supporters will demand Levy is next for the chop. There’s nowhere left to turn for the Deloitte darlings, and patience is running thin.
Meanwhile, Antonio would easily find another job – winners are always in demand.