MATT BARLOW: Is this the beginning of the end for Antonio Conte at Tottenham? The Italian’s comments on his future gave him the look of a man lengthening his stride toward the exit
- Tottenham suffered their fifth defeat of the season in a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa
- Antonio Conte has again scoffed at claims his side could challenge for the title
- He had to watch out as Liverpool and Chelsea pushed for new signings
- Conte looks like a manager who is taking a long step towards his exit
It was mid-October when Antonio Conte first began to laugh at the notion of Tottenham as potential champions.
His team just lost to Manchester United, their second Premier League defeat of the season, and they are third, four points off leaders Arsenal.
‘Sometimes I hear we’re title contenders,’ he said, laughing and shaking his head for effect. ‘In just 11 months you can’t go from ninth to become title contenders, especially when you’re 20 points down.’
Antonio Conte’s future at the club looks uncertain following his latest comments to the media
Conte’s side suffered their fifth defeat of the season in a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on New Year’s Day.
In fact, Tottenham were 10th for Conte’s first Premier League game in charge, in November 2021, and finished the season in fourth, trailing champions Manchester City by 22 points.
A blur of early summer recruitment and a strong start to the season has fueled expectations but Conte always fears his squad will be short when the inevitable injuries and fatigue hit.
They took a point at Chelsea, lost at Arsenal and at Sporting Lisbon before losing 2-0 at Old Trafford, after which the Italian concluded: ‘When the level is high, we will struggle.’
Eleven weeks on — more than half of this period without Premier League football — and his words seem prescient.
Tottenham’s form has worsened alarmingly. United’s defeat was the first in a 10-game sequence in which they conceded the first goal. They lost five and won three, each with a scrambled late winner.
Seeing clubs like Liverpool make signings reinforces Conte’s belief that his club may not have the strength to win the title
This was the backdrop for Conte’s comments this week. On Sunday, after losing 2-0 at home to Aston Villa and hearing his team booed off, he said people were ‘crazy’ to ever consider them title challengers. He spoke of fighting with a ‘small gun’ against a ‘bazooka’. He warned against creating ‘dreams’ and ‘illusions’, and it was time to be ‘realistic’.
Spurs have invested tens of millions in players such as Rodrigo Bentancur (£16.7million), Dejan Kulusevski (£25.5m), Richarlison (£51m) and Yves Bissouma (£25m), in the last 12 months, but, when Conte saw Liverpool sign Cody Gakpo and Chelsea sign Christopher Nkunku, it reinforced his belief that his club may not have the firepower to win the title.
True, he is often this way around the transfer market, and made it clear that any signing is within the club’s strategy of buying young players and trying to improve them instead of spending big.
Although, when he related it to his own future, she gave him the look of a man who was lengthening his stride towards the exit. ‘If I want to stay, I have to accept it,’ said Conte. ‘Otherwise, if I don’t want to accept it, I have to leave.’
His contract expires at the end of the season. There were talks during the World Cup break about extending and improving it, which were not agreed upon. Spurs hold the option of a 12-month extension but will not trigger it if he wants to move on.
Conte knows what it takes to reach the top but Daniel Levy’s methods have always been clear
‘I signed a contract with this club and I have to accept this project,’ Conte said ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Crystal Palace. ‘During this process, a thousand things can happen. The club can fire the manager or have different visions, different situations.’
He promises that he is happy and committed, while emphasizing that this work has to do with building foundations rather than challenging for big titles. He is a winner and it hurts him to dismiss his opportunities. He knows what it takes to reach the top and trusts his ways and will not change. Neither is Daniel Levy, whose methods are always equally clear.
They always make unlikely bedfellows but it appears the pair are moving into the final stage of their compatibility test.
Crystal Palace v Tottenham, LIVE on Sky Sports and Radio 5 Live, January 4, 8pm
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