Not many clubs are brave enough to turn down Antonio Conte. But just four months after deciding not to hire him as their new manager, Manchester United face the Italian tactician and his Tottenham team at Old Trafford.
Man United had sounded out the possibility to bringing in Conte to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Norwegian’s three-year reign came to an end in November.
A manager with Conte’s impressive CV was hard to come by, but the 53-year-old was out of work after leaving Inter Milan at the end of last season due to a disagreement over player sales.
Perhaps still scorned by the toxic fallout from Jose Mourinho ’s spell at the club, senior figures decided to give themselves some time to think by hiring an interim manager in Ralf Rangnick before selecting a permanent boss in the summer — ruling Conte out of the running.
Eventually, Tottenham moved to snap up the world-class coach after wielding the axe on Nuno Espirito Santo just 124 days into his tenure.
And with Conte at the helm, there are positive steps being made by the north London outfit, while Man United are in danger of falling away in the race for a top-four finish.
As the two teams go toe-to-toe on Saturday, Conte will be hoping to show United the error of their ways in passing up on the opportunity to appoint him by leading his side to victory.
Goals and entertainment
There have been misconceptions that Conte’s methods are defensive, but Tottenham’s last two games prove that is absolutely not the case. Nine goals against Leeds and Everton without reply showed just how lethal Spurs can be in front of goal on their day.
Conte has got Harry Kane and Heung-min Son working well together as a unit alongside Dejan Kulusevski up front, with the front three taking apart the opposition defences in front of them.
It is safe to say Man United fans have not experienced the same joy of watching the goals fly in under Rangnick. Since the German’s arrival, they have scored just 25 goals in 18 matches across all competitions.
The failure to get Cristiano Ronaldo firing, with the Portuguese only scoring once in his last 10 games, is a particular concern for the Red Devils. The 37-year-old may have his best years behind him, but he rarely fails to find the back of the net — scoring 31 goals in Serie A last season alone.
Similarly, the sharp decline of Marcus Rashford over the past few months has seen the 24-year-old fall out of favour at Old Trafford.
While Rangnick is struggling to get the best out of his strikers, Conte’s forwards can’t stop scoring — and United will be looking at Spurs with some feelings of envy.
Winning record
Quite simply, Man United could do with a manager that knows how to win trophies. The club not tasted success since their Europa League triumph in 2016-17 and that run is set to continue into a fifth year this season.
Worse yet, the Red Devils have spent exorbitant amounts to bolster their squad, to the tune of around £500m over the past three seasons, but have not added another Premier League title since their last triumph under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Conte has won a domestic title with every team he has managed since his first success with Juventus in 2011 and five in a total of 10 seasons. Not many managers can claim to have such a record.
Instead of selecting a manager with a proven record of winning at the top level, United are keen on hiring a progressive, modern coach like Mauricio Pochettino, although the Argentinian is on course to lead Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title this season.
United felt they couldn't sacrifice their long-term vision for short-term success. But that is a strange view to take when success has been so difficult to come by in recent years.
Improving players
He once took a Chelsea side that finished 10th in the Premier League the season prior to his arrival and turned them into unbeatable title winners. Then, he sculpted Inter Milan into an Italian superpower for the first time in a decade.
But perhaps going to Tottenham was his most difficult challenge yet.
Mourinho couldn’t cut it, leaving the north London club just about in the top half and crashing out of Europe to club’s with smaller reputations. Nuno Espirito Santo’s style of football simply did not compute with the players he had at his disposal.
However, Conte has found roles for players many expected to be on the fringes or even perhaps never play for the club again. Ryan Sessegnon has been involved and impressed the head coach to the extent that he is competing with Sergio Reguilon for the wing-back role.
Matt Doherty, who was often third-choice at right-back under Mourinho, has been excellent as a wing-back in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Man United’s players appear to be losing confidence in Rangnick and there have been several reports of complaining about his methods in training. Only Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho can claim to have more influence now than they did before, while Conte continues to revitalise and maximise the potential of his squad.
A clear identity
Conte, like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, has a one-size-fits-all approach to setting up his teams.
The 3-5-2 has been a long favourite of his since taking over Chelsea in 2016 and, while it has taken some time and a lot of tweaking to get Spurs to play the way he wants, it seems Conte has unearthed his best team.
Playing on the counter-attack is a tactic that has suited the club in the past, especially under Mauricio Pochettino, as they have tremendous pace on the break. Conte’s system tends to work to their strengths, allowing his players to pile forward in wide areas and the three attackers, who stay narrow.
It took a while for players to buy into that idea, but the manager’s clear philosophy is simple and clear: to “work hard” and he does not mince his words when he expects his players to “die” for him. Those that don’t fall in line tend to be offloaded — Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso all left in January — while the others see how his methods improve their game.
There is still some uncertainty over whether Rangnick’s ‘gegenpressing’ methods suit the squad he has in front of him, with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba looking jaded after being told to play as pressing forwards in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City. At least with Conte, those dissenting voices in the squad would have been told to leave a long time ago.
Transfer decisions
Dejan Kulusevski has only been at Spurs for six weeks but already, the Swede looks on course to become a fan’s favourite — and Conte, along with sporting director Fabio Paractici, will be pleased with the deal they agreed.
The 21-year-old has already scored twice and set up three goals for his team-mates in only seven appearances, settling in quickly to his new surroundings after a deadline day move from Juventus.
Kulusevski has seamlessly slotted into a wide role on the right flank, using his trickery to cut inside and find Son and Kane waiting for his cross. But the winger has shown his desire to track back and that has gone down well with Tottenham supporters.
The only other arrival was Rodrigo Bentancur, also from Juventus. While the Uruguayan’s start has been more low-key, the midfielder has brought poise and control to the midfield that Harry Winks and Ndombele simply couldn’t.
Man United’s three summer signings have all struggled for different reasons at Old Trafford after their £120m investment, with Ronaldo in particular already exploring the idea of leaving the club.
The club spent £42m on Raphael Varane but the Frenchman has struggled with injuries and played only 16 games in the Premier League, while Sancho is only just beginning to show glimpses of his talent after no goals in his first 13 games.
Once more, it seems United have missed a trick by failing to snap up Conte while they could — and they may find out how costly that decision could prove to be on Saturday at Old Trafford.
