Tottenham must do now what it should have a month ago
By Gary Pearson
Reports suggest that Cristian Stellini will be imminently relieved of his Tottenham interim manager duties, something that should have happened when head coach Antonio Conte was dismissed about a month ago.
On the back of the team’s most humiliating defeat in memory, a 6-1 shellacking at Newcastle, enraged supporters have demanded change occur immediately at the disheveled club.
It’s not like we haven’t been here before.
But Levy’s decision to keep Stellini on as interim head coach after the Italian’s mentor and long-term friend and colleague was sent packing is nothing short of mystifying, even nonsensical.
It’s almost impossible to conceive of what Levy thought when he decided to continue with the same regime that imploded after Conte’s rant, where he voiced his outrage and displeasure, not only with the club but his players too.
Stellini is now another in Levy’s long line of scapegoats. While the Italian has looked completely out of his depth since taking over as interim manager, he should have never been put in that position.
Yes, Stellini has made a handful of egregious decisions, the last of which saw him start Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic as full-backs at St. James’ Park. It was another poor call, one that quickly backfired.
However, Stellini’s tactics and formation have little, if nothing, to do with Tottenham’s 6-1 drubbing at Newcastle. The players clearly capitulated, tired of the same old routine.
They showed no desire, passion, or intent, disgracing the shirt and supporters they are supposed to represent. There’s no excuse for the lack of care and professionalism most of the starting 11 showed on Tyneside.
Hugo Lloris reportedly refused to play in the second half after a bust-up in the locker room at the interval. That bust-up is a long time coming. Players who quit on their club and coach, no matter who he is, don’t deserve to wear the shirt.
So while it must be the end of the road for Stellini, where does that leave Levy and the club he has driven into the ground, at least in a footballing sense?
Your guess is as good as mine. Reports out of west London suggest Mauricio Pochettino is the lead candidate for the Chelsea job.
I shudder to think what will happen if he is named the next Blues manager, especially considering the current state of disarray, even bedlam, a dozen miles north.
The only way forward is to see the back of Levy, who has admittedly done a superb job for the club’s balance sheet.
His lack of football sense, however, has turned Tottenham into the laughingstock of Europe. And it must stop. If not, the club could fall even farther from grace, a prospect I can’t bear to ponder.