Antonio Conte had had enough. The coach had seen Tottenham throw away a two-goal lead in a quarter of an hour away against table jumbo Southampton. On Saturday, he gave a volcanic eruption of a press conference. The Italian almost shouted out that the “selfish” players play for themselves, that the culture in the club is built on excuses, that the team is not able to fight for important titles. A reporter asked why that was. – They are used to it here, said Conte, and added: – Such is Tottenham’s history. In 20 years with this owner they have never won anything. Why? The quote appeared to be aimed at Daniel Levy, the club’s chairman since 2001. Spurs won a League Cup in 2008, but the point stood. It is rare for a coach to direct such criticism at his own employer, and most expect Conte to be sacked. But what if Conte was right? The old model Two decades ago, when Levy became manager of the club, that question would have been asked. Back then, English clubs were mostly owned and managed by British businessmen who stayed behind the scenes. All sporting responsibility – tactics, team selection, player purchases – went to the “manager”. There were also no US investors or national oil funds on the ownership side. The gap between rich and poor was much smaller. Most success was about whether the coach knew what he was doing. CHIEF: Daniel Levy has managed Tottenham since 2001. Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP But now it is the owners who have the most say. The fans just have to hope that they will spend money on the team, and that they have the skills to build a solid sporting project. A good example is Newcastle, where Mike Ashley was bought out by Saudi Arabia’s oil fund in October 2021; since then, the team has gone from the relegation battle to the battle for the top four. To be successful, the owners often hire directors who will set a long-term strategy. These take care of negotiations and player purchases. Sometimes the owners themselves take part in the process. The powerful “manager” has been replaced by the “coach”, who only has control over the team itself. The coach’s power has therefore never been less than now. Nor has it ever been more relevant to lay the blame for poor results on other parts of the club, such as owners and directors. This is something fans have long since understood. Out with the owner In January, The New York Times noted that several fan groups in England had begun protesting against their owners, citing examples in Portsmouth, Everton and Leeds. There have been many more cases, even in the biggest clubs. In Liverpool, parts of the supporters want John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group out, which they believe are spending too little money on the team. Before Arsenal became good, fans protested against Stan Kroenke, who they believed lacked ambition on behalf of the club. At Manchester United, people have wanted the Glazer family out for 18 years. The fans also criticized for a long time vice-president Ed Woodward, who operated as a director and who was behind much of the sporting. Now he is out – and United have started to win again. Spurs are no exception. In recent months, some of the fans have criticized Enic, the company that owns the club, shouting “We want Levy out!” CLEAR MESSAGE: The banners that were hung up against Daniel Levy and the company Enic were clear in the speech. Photo: ANDREW COULDRIDGE / Reuters The man who decides the coach’s future has been told to fire himself. And as is often the case, the fans have a point. “Spursy” Spurs Conte himself is not blameless. Spurs have become weaker this season, and the players would have had more stability if he had signed a new contract. Instead, the agreement expires this summer, which creates uncertainty. Some believe that the outbreak is a strategy to get away quickly. Also, Conte is a whiner. In every big club he has coached before – Juventus, Chelsea, Inter – he has struggled to get more players, before he has exploded in rage and stormed out the door. But Conte is also a winning machine. In these three clubs he won five league titles in seven seasons, while Spurs have one league cup in 22 years under Levy. BUCKET PROMISES: Antonio Conte has won Serie A with both Inter and Juventus and the Premier League with Chelsea. Here he is after winning Serie A with Juventus in 2013. Photo: Massimo Pinca / AP Levy will claim he has done a good job. Under him, Spurs have regularly challenged for the top four, something they did not do in the 90s. They have built a new training facility and a brand new stadium which has increased the club’s income. They have spent large sums on players under Conte. In addition, the team is still in fourth place, which gives a ticket to the Champions League. But with solid sporting planning, things could have been much better. It was Levy who sacked successful coach Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, and who has failed with every appointment since: José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and now Conte. It is under Levy that Spurs have bought a series of flops over the past six years, without a common thread for what they are trying to build. The very culture under Levy has become a joke. The term “Spursy” has become part of the English football language, and refers to players who lose when it matters and are weak mentally. When Juventus knocked Spurs out of the Champions League with a comeback in 2018, Juve veteran Giorgio Chiellini said the game showed “Tottenham’s history” – as if giving away leads was part of the club’s identity. The quote immediately became a hit on social media. As Conte’s quotes circulated on social media on Saturday, they echoed the criticism people had heard before. Several fans disliked the way he worded himself. But the criticism itself few seemed to disagree with. Everyone asks the coach So maybe it was Levy who should have spoken to the press on Saturday. In January, Conte said it was a “bad habit” in England that only coaches give interviews, when those higher up in the hierarchy are behind so much of the sport. In countries such as Italy and Spain, presidents and directors often talk to the media. There has long been an understanding that the coach is only part of the puzzle. But England still follows the manager model. If Spurs struggle in the transfer market, Conte will have to explain himself. FACE OUT: Antonio Conte has to answer for a lot of what Tottenham are doing. Photo: DANIEL LEAL / AFP Since managers and owners rarely say anything in England, coaches often have to explain things they have nothing to do with. When Manchester City was accused by the Premier League of breaching financial rules in February, the first quotes came from Pep Guardiola, who is unlikely to sit with the Excel sheets himself. When Russia invaded Ukraine last year and Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich was investigated, Thomas Tuchel was grilled about the war. At Spurs, Conte would probably have liked Levy to explain himself, or for director Fabio Paratici to give the fans an update. But the two have almost never given interviews at Spurs. So it is Conte who has to talk about the results. And on Saturday it overflowed. – If they want to continue like this, they can change several coaches, but the situation will not change. Trust me, Conte said before getting up and walking out. He had undoubtedly said too much. Levy is unlikely to say anything.
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