Tottenham, Conte part ways after coach’s outburst against players

Tottenham have parted ways with coach Antonio Conte after the Italian hit out at his players as “selfish” and not wanting to play “under pressure”.

The criticism arose after the players threw away a 3-1 lead to a 3-3 draw with rock-bottom Southampton.

The club were dumped out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League to leave them without a trophy for another season stretching back to 2008.

They suffered exit to AC Milan in the Champions League earlier in March, after Championship side Sheffield United knocked them out of the FA Cup at the start of the month.

Tottenham are fourth in the top flight but are out of all cup competitions.

Spurs have announced Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini will be acting head coach for the rest of the season, with Ryan Mason assistant head coach.

Chairman of the club, Daniel Levy, said in a statement: “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place. We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”

Conte’s departure means Spurs are searching for their fourth permanent manager in four years since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019.

Italian Conte, who had won league titles with former clubs Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan, was appointed in November 2021 after Spurs sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.

In his final post-match press conference as Tottenham head coach, Antonio Conte said the club needed to take responsibility for the current situation and felt his players didn’t want to play under pressure

Conte, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season, told Sky Sports after the 3-3 draw: “I’m not used to seeing this type of situation. I see a lot of selfish players and I don’t see a team.”

He added in his post-match press conference: “We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [in].”

Asked to explain Tottenham’s collapse at Southampton, Conte continued: “Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don’t play for something important.

“They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress. It is easy in this way.

“Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something – but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here.”

The Star