Tottenham have parted company with coach Antonio Conte following his incredible rant about ‘selfish players’ and his overall condemnation of the club following the 3-3 draw at Southampton and 16 months in charge overall.
Having led 3-1 with 15 minutes to go at St Mary’s, and with a chance to go third in the table, Conte’s men completely collapsed and allowed the Premier League’s bottom club to hit back and secure a point in dramatic circumstances.
And speaking after the game, Conte launched into a sensational tirade where no one was immune from criticism.
The Italian was highly critical of his players, saying: “The worst situation is what was happening on the pitch. What was happening in the last few months. What is happening in my second season.
“I think that it’s the right moment to speak because I think that after this performance, for me this is unacceptable.
“We are winning 3-1, in control and concede two goals and Fraser made saves. I think it’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team.
“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart.”
Conte also pointed out, without naming names, that the club has failed as a whole in its search for trophies – with leadership from the very top singled out.
He added: “Tottenham’s story is this – 20 years there is this owner and they never won something. Why?”
Conte axe leaves Tottenham in limbo again
Well, they won’t be winning anything with Conte at the helm after Daniel Levy unsurprisingly pulled the trigger on his tenure after a week of deliberation.
In an official club statement, Tottenham said: “We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement.
“We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio’s first season at the club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future.”
The club added: “Cristian Stellini will take the team as acting head coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as assistant head coach.”
Former boss Mauricio Pochettino and recently-sacked ex-Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann are among the favourites to take charge.
Initially, Conte did a tremendous job in securing Champions League football last season. However, despite the fact that Tottenham are still in the top-four mix this time around, there have been rumblings behind the scenes that all is not well for some time.
“You only do this. Excuses for the players!” 😡
An EXTRAORDINARY rant from a very unhappy Antonio Conte ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Uy2MGveYXL
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 18, 2023
Embarrassing domestic cup exits at the hands of Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, plus the limp way they crashed out of the Champions League to AC Milan all played a part in Conte’s ultimate exit – allied to the fact that he refused to commit to signing a new contract in north London.
The Italian has, however, had to deal with his fair share of trauma this season. He lost three close friends in Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli and also underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder just two months ago.
All in all, it’s been a marriage of convenience that has ultimately come to a volatile ending and leaves Tottenham searching for another permanent manager to end that 15-year trophy wait.
