Ex-Tottenham Hotspur ace Dimitar Berbatov says manager Antonio Conte’s passion could spark exit
Speaking to Betfair (h/t Evening Standard), former Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov said he empathised with Spurs boss Antonio Conte about his current situation at the club and warned that he could exit N17 soon if nothing changes.
Conte delivered a passionate rant in his post-match conference after his side lost 1-0 to Burnley away at Turf Moor, condemning them to a fourth defeat in five league games. The Italian looked visibly upset and claimed that he needed to speak to the club regarding his future.
Berbatov, who won the League Cup with Spurs in 2008, said that he was not surprised by the former Chelsea manager’s reaction after the latest loss, and neither should the club.
“All of that said, he needs to speak to Daniel Levy and see if they can solve the problem, instead of just going public. I’m not surprised by Conte’s reaction to Spurs’ difficulties and neither should Levy be.”
Conte’s frustration can be understood, as his side went from beating defending champions Manchester City 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium to dropping all three points away to relegation-threatened Burnley within the space of a few days. Spurs fans will have been left baffled by the state of the team at the moment.
“Drive you mad”
The latest result leaves the Lilywhites in eighth place in the Premier League table, which seriously hampers their chances of making it into the top four spots so as to ensure Champions League football next season.
Berbatov said that for an ambitious and passionate manager like Conte, these kinds of results will not sit well and the Italian cannot pretend to be happy when he is unable to turn things around for the club.
“Supporting Spurs can drive you f***ing mad and, as a passionate Italian, who is not used to hiding his emotions, Conte won’t pretend he’s happy. He is used to winning and he is one of the most ambitious managers in the game.”
Conte is a serial winner wherever he has managed, winning titles across multiple leagues with different teams including Inter Milan, Juventus, and Chelsea. The Italian is not new to PL football as well, winning the Premier League with the Blues in his first season in England.
However, his current role with Spurs seems to have defeated him, given his recent passionate rant after the Burnley game. Things are just not working out for him at the moment, and the ex-Inter Milan man seems to be at his wit’s end.
His outburst at the post-match conference has resulted in speculation about his future at Tottenham, and it remains to be seen whether the club and the manager will be able to resolve all issues before their next league game against Leeds United on the weekend.
The Bulgarian legend also claimed that Conte walked away from Inter and Chelsea when he wasn’t getting what he wanted, and that he would have made it clear to the Spurs board where he wants to strengthen the team.
Failure to get him his targets in January could have upset Conte, according to Berbatov, and while there is a chance that could spark an exit from the club in the future, he hopes that Conte can stay at Spurs and win trophies with the club.
“Conte was prepared to walk away from Chelsea and Inter when they wouldn’t give him what he wanted. He will have made clear to Spurs, before he took the job, where he believes they need to strengthen. If they missed out on transfer targets in January, that could have made the manager unhappy.”
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Like Berbatov said, club chairman Daniel Levy will need to ensure that Conte is well backed and supported through these tough times, as he is one of the finest coaches in the world who can be relied on to turn the tide around in Spurs’ favour.
