Antonio Conte’s absence for Tottenham is being felt, but surprisingly in a positive way.
Spurs racked up a huge 2-0 home win over London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League, and did it again under the guidance of assistant manager Cristian Stellini.
Stellini keeps taking home wins
Conte’s last two games have been brutal defeats
The former Juventus and Genoa defender now has a record of four wins from four in the dugout, and it looks even better considering what’s happened when Conte’s been back.
The Premier League and Serie A-winning coach has been contending with fallout from a gallbladder surgery, returning for two matches, only for them to go terribly.
A 4-1 battering at the hands of Leicester and a 1-0 defeat in the last 16 to AC Milan were huge blows to Spurs’ chances of success this season, and their head coach then returned home to rest.
With Stellini back in charge, they’ve beaten West Ham, and now Chelsea, who they hadn’t recorded a win against since 2018, or at their new stadium.
On top of that, the 47-year-old previously had overseen huge wins against Marseille and Manchester City, which changed the course of their season.
The first match saw them qualify top of their Champions League group, and their second get back in the top four race, one coming due to a Conte suspension, and the other because of his surgery.
Stellini is a calming presence on the bench
That gives Stellini a 100 per cent record in four matches where he’s led the team this season, inevitably higher than Conte’s 56 per cent at the club.
Ahead of the most recent victory, Stellini was asked about his impact, but was keen to give the credit to Conte.
“This happens because Antonio is the gaffer, not because I am the gaffer,” he said. “I only follow the project of his work.
“The way he works is really clear and I used my experience and a lot of stuff.
“We work in a team and we work very well, especially with Ryan [Mason] who helped me a lot.”
Stellini has been leading the team in training too
Stellini and Kane were keen to pay tribute to Conte
Adding to that, Harry Kane said: “It’s different, it’s difficult, we want our manager to be there and be with us but we know he’s doing the most important thing for him and his family at the moment and staying healthy.
“I’m sure he’s itching to get back, I’m sure it’s not nice at home, he’ll be jumping up and down around the living room, but we’ve just got to stay focused.
“Christian and Ryan [Mason] have done an amazing job here keeping us focused. It’s the gaffer’s ideas we’re working towards, he’s just not here at the moment.”
Despite that, #StelliniIn ironically trended on Twitter after consecutive games, and some superstitious fans might be hoping that continues for season-defining Champions League and FA Cup games to come.
