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MARTIN SAMUEL: Levy has worked out that Conte is different to the rest
Mauricio Pochettino loved a bit of brinkmanship. The build-up to the Champions League final in 2019 was consumed by round after round of will-he, won't-he, concerning his future.
It became all about the manager, whether he would get the guarantees about budgets, whether he would jump ship for Real Madrid or Manchester United. And then he went nowhere. It was hardly a surprise that Daniel Levy's patience was swiftly exhausted.
Then came Jose Mourinho. More politics, more disruption, allied to a scorched earth policy that has marked his later roles. Yet again, Mourinho did not jump, he was pushed.
Conte's different. Conte means it. That is why he gets things done. We all know Levy likes a deal, and we all know when he likes to do them. Late. As late as possible. Come transfer deadline day there is always some poor soul standing in the pitch black outside Tottenham's training ground waiting for 10.59pm and a puff of white smoke.
Conte took one look at that and didn't fancy it. And unlike Levy's previous managers he doesn't bluff. If Levy was under any illusions about what Conte does if displeased, he only need look at his last job. Conte wasn't impressed by what was happening at Inter Milan, warned he would walk, then walked. And he was sending those messages to Tottenham, too.
He wanted business done, and done early. And he got it. As a result, Tottenham supporters are enjoying their most optimistic pre-season in years. They love that Conte has his squad together.
They love that there is no longer speculation around Harry Kane. They love having a manager with a winning track record. And they probably love seeing players worked to the point of collapse in training, too.
It all adds up to the picture of Conte as a serious manager, capable of making Tottenham contenders again. No more Spursy. No more lads, it's Tottenham. They look further ahead than Woolwich and Manchester United, and who knows what Chelsea will be with so much recruitment ongoing?
It can be argued that, for Levy, the penny has finally dropped.
It is pointless employing a gun manager, or an astute director of football like Fabio Paratici, if you then stand as the obstacle to their success. Yet it also needs an uncompromising figure like Conte to make it work, to apply the pressure, to demand the focus that is required to reach the very top.
Levy may feel a little lost come September 1 if the phone isn't ringing and nobody is eulogising his brinkmanship skills, but he is also still waiting for his first trophy as chairman since the 2008 League Cup. Conte might change that, too - and winning is easily as much fun as getting a deal done.
MARTIN SAMUEL: Levy has worked out that Conte is different to Pochettino and Mourinho. He doesn't bluff… PLUS, Pogba's excuse for his United failings was lame - the upheaval was HIM
- The penny has finally dropped for Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy
- He's employed a manager in Antonio Conte that doesn't make idle threats
- Unlike his predecessors, Conte doesn't bluff when getting what he wants
- The no-nonsense Italian wanted business done, and done early. And he got it
Mauricio Pochettino loved a bit of brinkmanship. The build-up to the Champions League final in 2019 was consumed by round after round of will-he, won't-he, concerning his future.
It became all about the manager, whether he would get the guarantees about budgets, whether he would jump ship for Real Madrid or Manchester United. And then he went nowhere. It was hardly a surprise that Daniel Levy's patience was swiftly exhausted.
Then came Jose Mourinho. More politics, more disruption, allied to a scorched earth policy that has marked his later roles. Yet again, Mourinho did not jump, he was pushed.
Conte's different. Conte means it. That is why he gets things done. We all know Levy likes a deal, and we all know when he likes to do them. Late. As late as possible. Come transfer deadline day there is always some poor soul standing in the pitch black outside Tottenham's training ground waiting for 10.59pm and a puff of white smoke.
Conte took one look at that and didn't fancy it. And unlike Levy's previous managers he doesn't bluff. If Levy was under any illusions about what Conte does if displeased, he only need look at his last job. Conte wasn't impressed by what was happening at Inter Milan, warned he would walk, then walked. And he was sending those messages to Tottenham, too.
He wanted business done, and done early. And he got it. As a result, Tottenham supporters are enjoying their most optimistic pre-season in years. They love that Conte has his squad together.
They love that there is no longer speculation around Harry Kane. They love having a manager with a winning track record. And they probably love seeing players worked to the point of collapse in training, too.
It all adds up to the picture of Conte as a serious manager, capable of making Tottenham contenders again. No more Spursy. No more lads, it's Tottenham. They look further ahead than Woolwich and Manchester United, and who knows what Chelsea will be with so much recruitment ongoing?
It can be argued that, for Levy, the penny has finally dropped.
It is pointless employing a gun manager, or an astute director of football like Fabio Paratici, if you then stand as the obstacle to their success. Yet it also needs an uncompromising figure like Conte to make it work, to apply the pressure, to demand the focus that is required to reach the very top.
Levy may feel a little lost come September 1 if the phone isn't ringing and nobody is eulogising his brinkmanship skills, but he is also still waiting for his first trophy as chairman since the 2008 League Cup. Conte might change that, too - and winning is easily as much fun as getting a deal done.
The more that guy posts the more he exposes himself
Saw it was Martin Samuel, read the article, checked another 5 times that it was Martin Samuel...
Damn!
Was prime Conte a better player than prime Nicola Berti.
I dimly remember Conte as a non-stop midfield grafter with an insane glint in his eye. He must have been a pest to play against, a buzzing bee playing on adrenaline & pure commitment.
bus-conductor
would probably have another two-word phrase, also with the initials B C, to describe peak Conte.I wonder whether in his current tactical system, he would have converted himself to a WB.
You can see that furious energy & those loco eyes in this short video. And the same passion on the touchline of the famous Spurs every match day....
As an Italian, I can think of one reason why he could do that sometimes - provided that he's really starting the sentence with "But" and it wouldn't make sense as an adversative sentence.
In Italian it's common to start diplomatic answers in a press conference with "Mah," which in that context is basically the equivalent of "Well," (in other situations it's used to indicate doubt/uncertainty.) The thing is that "Ma" in Italian means "But" (yeah it's written without the final "H" but it's pronounced the same as "Mah".) So he just defaults to Mah/Ma=Well/But.
Also, we use "But" ("Ma") a lot when we talk in general as a diffusing/softening filler word, just to lower the stakes of the previous sentence and compromise. I bet it's used this way in English as well though.
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Dad..My Italian used MAH even when speaking English
I like that too. It reigns in the speculative nature of journalists. But then I can’t think of anything about him I don’t like (in a heterosexual way).
Lol yeah I get it, filler words are the hardest to do away with.My Italian used MAH even when speaking English
Another amazingly useful word that doesn't exist in English is "boh" (usually paired with a shrug) which means "I don't know/who knows/have no clue", and I remember being surprised when I learned that it wasn't an international expression.
This makes sense. You can tell from his body language that Conte often doesn't want to whole-heartedly agree with the sentiments in questions he's asked.
Eg Interviewer: "Player X was very good today."
Conte (shifting on his feet): "But X is coming back from injury, he is still getting his fitness back, I am happy with his effort..."
Ie Conte doesn't want to completely endorse the sentiment & prefers to keep Player X hungry. Equally, he doesn't want to be confrontational with the interviewer or criticize Player X.
If Conte decides to praise or criticize a player, he will do it on his own terms. And directly. As some of the Conte vs Diego Costa details reveal:
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Conte was furious at Costa’s training-ground bust-up with a fitness coach in January as he dropped him for the trip to Leicester and ordered him to train on his own.
The Italian boss is also said to have shouted “Go to China” at the end of another furious row, while Costa was urged to apologise to his team-mates.
Asked if there had been a row, Conte declared: “I can tell if there are problems with players. I am used to solving them in the changing rooms, not outside.”
The text to Antonio Conte that cost Diego Costa his Chelsea future as boss tells striker to leave
He doesn't fanny, does he?
Lol you that insecure that you needed to stress this?!
It's often added ironically.
e.g. You make a completely innocent compliment and the add "no homo" to jokingly imply that it actually could have also had some hidden "homo" undertones.
I dimly remember Conte as a non-stop midfield grafter with an insane glint in his eye. He must have been a pest to play against, a buzzing bee playing on adrenaline & pure commitment.
I wonder whether in his current tactical system, he would have converted himself to a WB.
You can see that furious energy & those loco eyes in this short video. And the same passion on the touchline of the famous Spurs every match day....
Great midfielder, very dynamic and good at insertions. As a very serious person: never a smudge, never wrong behavior. Suitable for the Juventus environment. Among the team mates: Paulo Sousa, Jugovic, Davids, Dechamps. It is no coincidence that many former Lippi Juventus players have become coaches (Zidane was launched by Lippi, bought by Bordeaux)
You can't spell "Epicenity" without "ENIC piety", right
John Thomas
?Epicenity - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
