Cristian Stellini has been here before: a press conference now and then when Antonio Conte was unavailable; sometimes preparing to lead Tottenham into a game. But not like this. Not as the man in charge for a significant period – 10 Premier League matches to be precise, when the Champions League qualification push will be decided. Not as the face of the club, the de facto spokesman for anything and everything. And right now, it is everything. “A bit chaotic, absolutely,” Stellini said when asked to sum it up.
Stellini wants to focus on the football, starting at Everton on Monday night, having been shuffled into the manager’s job until the end of the season after Conte’s departure on Sunday by mutual consent. When José Mourinho left Chelsea for the first time in 2007, the same explanation was given and he had been asked what it meant. “Look it up in the dictionary,” Mourinho advised.
