Antonio Conte football style: how the new Tottenham Hotspur manager likes his sides to play - Spurs latest

Four months after joining Tottenham Hotspur on a two year contract, Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked. Nuno arrived at training on the morning of Monday 1 November 2021 but left shortly after having been relieved of his duties.

His sacking came just two days after Spurs lost 3-0 to Manchester United at home. Nuno’s four months at the London club have been fraught with difficulties and Spurs currently sit eighth in the League, ten points behind the current Premier League leaders, Chelsea.

It has been widely reported since Nuno’s departure that former Inter-Milan and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte would be set to take over the reins. The Italian manager had been in talks with the north-London club on Monday and the deal was finalised on Tuesday 2 November 2021.

Tottenham Hotspur took to their twitter to welcome Conte to the team. “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Antonio Conte as our Head Coach on a contract until the summer of 2023, with an option to extend.”

It will not be Conte’s first time in the Premier League. The Italian saw great success with Chelsea from 2016-2018 leading the blues to a Premier League title and FA Cup win.

Here is all you need to know about the next Tottenham Hotspur manager’s style of play.

What is Antonio Conte’s managerial style?

The former Chelsea manager is known for his motivation and hands-on approach to management. His intense methods of training have led him to demand the absolute best from his players but have also led him into difficulties with both players and Club seniors.

The extremities of his expectations saw him fall out with Diego Costa at Chelsea as well as the Chelsea hierarchy which ultimately ended in a legal battle.

He has been known as a workaholic and often works his players into the ground to ensure they are as physically fit as possible.

The Italian’s fiery personality is well-known amongst his players and his passion for the sport enables him to create extraordinary players out of ordinary talent.

In his autobiography, Andrea Pirlo said of Conte “He needed only one speech, with many simple words, to conquer both me and Juventus. He had fire running through his veins and he moved like a viper.

“When Conte speaks, his words assault you. They crash through the doors of your mind.”

What is Antonio Conte’s formation style?

At Juventus, Conte used a 3-5-2 formation almost exclusively. It was also a system that Conte employed heavily during his stint with Italy’s National team between 2014 and 2016.

When he first started managing, Conte used a 4-2-4 which saw success at Bari but did not translate when Conte joined Juventus.

During his first season at Chelsea in 2016, Conte began with a four-man backline however soon scrapped this for his 3-5-2 formation after a poor start. Chelsea’s 3-man backline enabled them to quickly soar to the top of the Premier League.

The 52-year-old from Lecce has often received criticism for the rigidness of his tactics and formations. He is not unknown for being too stubborn in his demands and the players are often set in their 3-5-2 positions with little freedom to move around.

Conte has also faced criticisms for taking too long to substitute his players, and for not rotating his teams often enough.

What is Antonio Conte’s success as a manager?

The three major teams Conte has seen success with are Juventus, where he was a manager from 2011-2014; Chelsea and Inter Milan where he stayed for two seasons.

At Juventus, he won the Serie A title three times and the Supercoppa Italiana twice.

He has also won the Serie A title with Inter Milan in 2021.

During his time at Chelsea, Conte won the Premier League title in 2017 and went on to win the FA cup with the Blues in 2018 before being sacked.

Overall, Conte has a win percentage 58.77, with his most successful record being Juventus where he had a win percentage of 67.55.

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