Conte’s Assistant Is Spurs Caretaker Boss

As Tottenham’s search for silverware extends for another season, Spurs are now also searching for a new manager after Antonio Conte’s departure. The Italian coach seemed destined to exit the club after taking a swipe at their owners following his last match in charge – a 3-3 league draw with Southampton.

With a handful of games remaining this season, Spurs have named Cristian Stellini as interim manager while looking to find a long-term replacement for the Italian, and also while Conte searches for a job of his own.

Who is Cristian Stellini?

Stellini’s elevation to manager comes after serving as Tottenham’s assistant coach for the past two years.

During a senior playing career which dated from 1992 to 2007, defender Stellini most frequently played for Ternana, Como and later Genoa. He got a big move to Juventus in 2003, but suffered a leg injury and would only play for the Bianconeri twice.

Stellini then joined Conte’s Juventus coaching team in 2011 but lasted just a year before stepping aside after allegations of match-fixing during his final years as a player. He was later handed a two-and-a-half-year suspension from all football activities.

The Italian maintained his innocence throughout and would return to coaching in 2015 with Genoa’s youth team. In 2017, Stellini then secured his first head coaching role with Serie C team Alessandria but was sacked after just five months in charge.

Two years later, Conte and Stellini would reunite at Inter Milan with the latter serving as an assistant – a role Stellini would also occupy during Conte’s time at Spurs. Stellini would become Conte’s assistant at Inter where they won the Serie A title before joining Spurs in late 2021, helping the club qualify for the Champions League after a terrible start under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Cristian Stellini’s tactics and style of play

Antonio Conte’s tactics with Spurs have come under fire in recent months amid an inconsistent run of five wins and five losses from their last ten games in all competitions.

Rival Premier League sides like Arsenal and Manchester United have developed attractive styles this season, while Spurs have relied on Conte’s 3-4-3 formation for chance creation.

However, Stellini is cut from the same cloth as Conte and defended the style of play back in November, saying: “I watch many games and in this particular last month it’s not easy to find attractive football because many teams, maybe the best teams in this…