Antonio Conte launches furious tirade against Spurs

Simon Kelly

He’s taking them all down with him.

Antonio Conte is known for two things; winning trophies and falling out with every club he’s been at. The first matter mentioned has not turned out too well for the Italian during his time at Tottenham, so he’s quickly moved on to the latter, in some style

Following Spurs’ disappointing 3-3 draw against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, where they were leading 3-1 after 79 minutes, Conte came out swinging in an astonishing press conference.

Never seen anything like that Antonio Conte press conference just now. 10 minutes of trying to take everyone else down with him. It was such an amazing performance you almost had to admire it.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) March 18, 2023

“I think it’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team,” he said. “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 [into it]. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve. I see only 11 players that play for themselves.”

But he didn’t stop there. There was a very specific moment in the press conference where you can see Conte decide he’s gonna say what he wants to say. And it did not disappoint.

“It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench. You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment. Until now I try to hide the situation but now, no, because I repeat I don’t want to see what I have seen today.

“They can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.”

"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

Tottenham’s stance on Conte is still unclear.

And there is where the story ends for Conte and Spurs. Or so it seems. The club have yet to pull the trigger on a manager who has checked out months ago and continues to embarrass them on a global stage while they employ him still.

It’s long since Conte’s job has become untenable. Since dropping out of the Champions League and FA Cup within the space of a few days, the ex-Chelsea boss has made it clear he’s given up on his project at Spurs.

So the question now lies with chairman Daniel Levy. Since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2020, Levy has overseen three managerial failures in Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and now Antonio Conte.

All the while, Spurs have slipped further from the club’s “DNA” of attacking, exciting football. It’s been miserable for fans and the pressure is now on Levy and director of football Fabio Paratici to make a decision.

Antonio Conte during Spurs' disappointing draw to Southampton

With the convenient pressure-reliever of the international break coming up, Levy has to decide what’s best for him and the club – does he let Conte spout insults at the club and his players until the end of the season, when the Italian’s contract runs out in the summer? Or will he try to salvage something from a miserable year and cut ties before things get any worse?

There appears to be no point in Conte remaining in the job anymore. There’s still a Champions League spot to contend for and after the manager’s furious speech this weekend, it’s clear he’s lost the dressing room and now the fans. It’s time once again for Ryan Mason to step up for the remainder of the season and lift the spirits slightly. Who the next manager will be after that remains a mystery

Back on a fateful night in 2018, when Spurs got knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus, Giorgio Chiellini uttered the immortal words; “It’s the history of the Tottenham.” History has a funny way of repeating itself, it’s now up to Levy to change its course.

"It's the history of the Tottenham. They always miss something to arrive at the end."

Giorgio Chiellini just lives for getting under his opponents' skin 🎣

We think Harry Kane might remember this one on Sunday night… pic.twitter.com/Qo40g3oobg

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 9, 2021