Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has seemingly gone rogue after a devastating derby day defeat. Indirectly, he has thrown a couple of grenades Daniel Levy’s way in his latest press conference following that 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal.
"In England I think there's a bad habit that it's only the coach talks and explains,” the Tottenham boss stated. “I've never seen the medical department coming here to explain, [or] the sporting director coming here to explain the strategy."
"In Italy, before every game there's a person from the club that goes to speak to the media. I think for us it could be really better, otherwise there is only one face to explain the situation," he added. "Otherwise it means that only if the coach talks there can be misunderstanding."
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But is the Italian manager, who referred back to his time in Serie A, right or wrong when it comes to this debate? Should we hear from more members of the Tottenham hierarchy, or is it better this way? It created quite the discussion at Sportsman HQ and we’ve got both sides of the argument covered, so you can make your own mind up.
Why Conte is spot on…
The Italian is onto something here and hopefully it will mark a change in the English game. So often the manager is left to face questions from journalists he simply doesn’t have the answers to. Conte isn’t in charge of the pursestrings at Spurs, so what’s the point in asking him why the club haven’t signed anyone this January?
Instead, Daniel Levy should be questioned on the matter. He is expert in that field and could give a detailed response on their spending and budget limitations. This should in theory open the door to the club and give fans more information.
When it comes to injury news, the manager is simply the middleman between the physios and the press. A club doctor or physio would be able to give a much more detailed explanation of a player’s injury and how long they are expected to be out for than a manager could. Once again, it’s about speaking to the expert in the field, rather than a football coach who doesn’t know his Tibula from his Talus.
It’s far too easy at the moment for dodgy owners to hide away when it comes to the press. They aren’t held to account and perhaps if they were, they wouldn’t get away with many of their dodgy dealings. Clubs have been run into the ground without any in-depth answers from owners on what they are actually trying to achieve.
The answers may not be enthralling a lot of the time, but surely it’s better than hearing the same old drivel from a manager every three days. We’ve heard hundreds of times that Harry Kane will start, there’s no updates on the injury list and ‘training has been good in the build-up to this one.’
It’s time we tried something different.
Why Conte is wide of the mark…
“I tell you what I want, I want to hear more of what the white guys in suits have to say,” said nobody ever. At least not until Antonio Conte piped up on Tuesday. I mean, seriously?
Anybody who has ever listened in to a Manchester United investors call once a quarter knows that Ed Woodward had all the personality of a wet sock. And not even a colourful sock, just a plain black cotton dress sock. Who wants that on a weekly basis?
I’m sure a few weeks of holding court with chartered accountant Richard Arnold, retail and property magnate Daniel Levy, computer graphics empresario Steve Parish and noted porn baron David Sullivan would change Conte’s mind. What the Tottenham boss is really asking for is Italian owners to speak. You know the ones…
Aurelio De Laurentiis pontificating on the washing habits of English women. Adriano Galliani finding increasingly obsequious ways to talk up the ‘big man upstairs’ – Silvio Berlusconi, not the other one. The late Maurizio Zamparini sacking a manager a week just to have something to say. Massimo Cellino explaining why this week’s banned number is 17 and the forbidden colour is purple like he’s on some weird Sesame Street spin-off.
British owners and directors just don’t have the character of Italian bosses, so be careful what you wish for if you’re nodding along in agreement with Conte. Antonio just wants a bit of the heat to be shared now that Spurs are slipping out of the title picture. What’s your excuse for wanting to plump up the egos of a load of rich white men by giving them a microphone to go alongside the keys to your favourite club?
Does Conte want owners to speak more or just managers to speak less? Because while the second bit is worth considering, the first really isn’t worth the bother.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
