Yes only reason they won the league imo, typical it had to be when we had a brilliant year.
Every team benefits from one game a week though, less disruption, travelling, less fatigue, less injuries, a settled side and loads of time to implement and work on your tactics.
Conte does things quickly, gets teams challenging within a year or two and pushes the board to back him. Relatively speaking (compared to rivals in our league), we're probably the weakest squad he's inherited. We've brought in quite a few players but, being honest, we still need quite a few, especially defensively.
Arteta has had more than twice as long, was allowed to finish outside the top 4 on 3 occasions (I think) and has kept his job and been backed substantially in the transfer market.
I'm not sure anyone we bring in will be aafforded that much patience or backing. The future worries me to be honest.
Maybe so
But the little bit of an inkling he might be ok and looking like he could build momentum was actually winning some silverware with a very shit squad in his first season.
Probably from then to now you could see year on year growth and a club with a clear indentity taken through unpopular decisions and a change of transfer philosiphy into growing a side that could play good entertaining football and looked fairly solid at the back for the first time in years was the reason the man was given patience as a manager.
We do not have a clear id as a club under Anybody since Pochettino left and Conte will guarentee (other than being a boring as fuck team to watch we'll play 3 cb's every game against every opposition and are far too pedictable).
Anybody who could actually get a tune out the squad currently available then write your name down and we can draw a name out of a hat thats how desperate we are right now.
God save Spurs
Because Conte won't do it without backing even though he is only a signing or 2 away from turning us around
Or Nuno before him
Jose "serial winner" Mourinho couldnt do it either
Pochettino couldnt either but we came very close under him and atleast played great football.
If im Levy right now i would either get the manager to state publicly he wants to stay on next season and clear any cloud of controversy or sack him on the international break and look to bring in the next Roberto De Zerbi.
For all the bad we see in this side this season and negativity around our non existing attacking football we are still the 3rd highest scoring side in the league.
Look at Richi against Forrest when that player has got the bit between his teeth hes a machine a really solid performance after the controversy of the week before with his comments and was unlucky his goal was ruled out because he deserved it.
CONTE - SIGNING (he'll know that the best way to get the best from this player is to unleash him when he is pissed off)
PEDRO PORRO - awful on his debut yet he has impressed me since
looks like he could potentially be deadly from set pieces and will be a massive plus in time with assists again a CONTE signing
BENTANCUR AND KULUSEVSKI -CONTE signings - slotted into the side like clockwork and can produce in big moments.
YES I KNOW our central defence are shocking and no doubt Conte will have a plan for that too but you know what we could possibly only be a couple of signings away from being a great side if we have a little faith in Antonio Conte too. ( god knows he has had an awful year full of personal grief and turmoil with ill health) yet we still sit 4th in the league.
Emerson Royal dare i say it as he used to be the butt of most of my jokes at work seems to finally of turned a corner and looks solid when played - possibly Conte lining him up to play rcb
The player in my opinion that we have never replaced is Moussa Dembele and you know what if im Conte looking at it i would probably go all out to sign Adama Traore to play as a ball winning (you cant get the ball off me) central midfielder make the most of that mans strengths and when he goes past a couple of players give him licence to go where he likes upfield and actually be the first manager to play to the mans strengths which is strength, speed and dribbling