Antonio Conte’s spell at Tottenham has come to an end.
Spurs have announced that they have parted ways with the Italian nearly 18 months after appointing him.
It proved to be a bitter end for Conte, who lashed out at players and questioned the club’s ownership in his final press conference.
But despite how disappointing this season has been, Conte did create some happy memories in north London. Here are the best moments of his tenure at Tottenham.
Okay, this is only a half-serious addition to the list, but it was so funny and so un-Spurs that it has to make the cut somehow.
Having been hilariously outplayed by Chelsea on the second weekend of the 2022/23 season, Harry Kane scored a 96th-minute equaliser to snatch a point at Stamford Bridge and end Tottenham’s hoodoo with the Blues.
A match-long feud with Thomas Tuchel spilled over post-match when the German accused Conte of not looking him in the eye, holding onto him following a handshake and seeing both sent off after the final whistle.
🗣 “The winner has to feel when there is blood. The blood of your opponent and then you have to try to kill your opponent.”
Antonio Conte on his teams mentality following the 4-0 win over Aston Villa. pic.twitter.com/EVctCDObQn
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 9, 2022
While the Conte of recent months has looked a little dishevelled, he was still in his pomp during Spurs’ march to the top four last year.
Perhaps the best sign of this was in his post-match press conference after Tottenham thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 and looked like one of Europe’s best attacking forces.
In confidence that he had a team in his image, he sternly said: “You need to feel the blood of your opponent and try in a sporting way to kill your opponent.”
The fire was in his belly.
The mood around Tottenham coming out of the 2021/22 season was overwhelmingly positive. There was a feeling that the club were moving in the right direction again when it seemed they were going in reverse for so long.
Now, obviously, it turns out that Spurs are back to square one a little bit. But it was fun to bask in that sunny afterglow while it was there.
Tottenham had quite a few late comebacks in the Conte era, which was testament to the fitness coaching he reinstated after such a low-energy two years under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.
The most impressive came in January 2022 at Leicester City. Spurs had battered the Foxes for much of the day at the King Power Stadium, but found themselves 2-1 down in the 94th minute.
Enter Steven Bergwijn. The Dutchman – who was used so sparingly under Conte – scored twice in the final 60 seconds to overturn the deficit and snatch a famous win from the jaws of defeat.
Antonio Conte isn’t having any of this talk that Spurs were purely a counter-attack side at Man City 👀 pic.twitter.com/gYJZMGE3y7
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) February 21, 2022
Sure, Tottenham beat Manchester City for no reason all the time, but this was their most impressive feat in terms of an overall performance.
Spurs deserved to leave the Etihad Stadium as the 3-2 victors in February 2022. Harry Kane put in one of the best ever performances from any player in the Premier League era, his 96th-minute winner the cherry on the cake.
And to top it all off, Conte hit back at suggestions that Tottenham were only playing on the counter that day, posting a video on Instagram showcasing their quality in possession.
There could only be one moment.
Tottenham had to beat rivals Arsenal to stand a chance of pipping them to fourth place at the end of the 2021/22 season. A loss would have seen the Gunners cement that spot on enemy territory.
For the first time since the pandemic, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was raucous and rocking, so loud that your head hurt by kick-off (and this was only in the press zone where you’re not even in the immediate vicinity of fans).
Arsenal crumbled. Rob Holding lost the plot and was sent off. Tottenham won 3-0. The Gunners’ end-of-season collapse saw Conte and his men march into the top four when it seemed unlikely for so long.
On this edition of Oh What a Night, part of the 90min podcast network, Sean Walsh & Jude Summerfield discuss the issues at Tottenham Hotspur and who is to blame for where the club find themselves. If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
Credit: 90min.com
