TOTTENHAM SACK INTERIM MANAGER CHRISTIAN STELLINI AFTER ONLY FOUR GAMES IN CHARGE
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked interim manager Christian Stellini following Sunday’s embarrassing 6-1 demolition at Newcastle, the team announced this week.
Spurs were down 5-0 within the first 20 minutes at St James’ Park in what was one of the poorest showings by the North London club in their Premier League history. While Stellini took responsibility for the loss, also adding that the first twenty five minutes were the worst he’d ever seen, that alone wasn’t enough to change the minds of the hierarchy at Tottenham.
“It was my responsibility to decide how we play,” said Stellini. “We decided to do it differently because of the injuries. It is my responsibility. I took it and it was wrong. I have to take responsibility because once we changed the system we played better, scored and showed fight. It’s very difficult to understand why the first 25 minutes were so bad.”
In his statement on Monday, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy looked inward and also took responsibility for the defeat on Sunday, saying: “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see. We can look at many reasons why it happened and whilst myself, the Board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.”
“Christian will leave his current role along with his coaching staff. Christian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time. We wish him and his staff well.”
Stellini had been in charge of the Lilywhites for just 29 days, less than a month since the club sacked his former boss, Antonio Conte, and made him interim manager. The Cuggiono-born coach had played the role of Conte’s assistant at the club since 2021 and was appointed on an interim basis until season’s end, carrying the club hopes of clinching a top four finish and playing Champions League football next season on his shoulders. Stellini managed only 4 games in that time, winning just one, drawing another and losing the remaining two.
With the club confirming his immediate exit, the rest of Stellini’s staff are expected to follow suit, including athletic coach Costantino Corrati, sports scientist Stefano Bruno, first team goalkeeper coach Marco Savorani, and set-piece coach Gianni Vio. Tottenham confirmed that former midfielder and a member of the team’s coaching staff, Ryan Mason, will take over as interim head coach.
Apparent to most, except the decision makers at Spurs, Stellini was hopelessly out of his depth with the managerial position at the club. The soon-to-be 49-year-old’s only previous managerial experience came at Serie C’s Alessandria in 2017 and ended after just five months when he was sacked by the division three club after a poor run of results, finishing his time in northern Italy with a measly winning percentage of just 18.75%.
Tottenham’s top hierarchy has recently come under criticism from both fans and media for a lack of strategic vision about the club’s long-term on-field success. Tottenham have had six managerial tenures since Mauricio Pochettino left the club in Nov 2019, employing Jose Mourinho (516 days), Ryan Mason (71 days), Nuno Espirito Santo (124 days), Antonio Conte (509 days), Christian Stellini (29 days), and now Ryan Mason for a second time.
The club has had six managerial stints in three years and five months and has now had three managers, including two interims since late March.
Stellini oversaw Spurs’ best run of the season deputizing for Antonio Conte in February and March, and helped guide the team to wins over Manchester City, West Ham United and Chelsea, results that were behind the logic of his appointment last month.
While Tottenham is still in the market for a permanent managerial replacement, there seems to be no hurry to get in a quick successor. The team is reportedly inquiring about former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann, and former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and should make an apt appointment in the summer, with the new manager set to start in June.
Club chairman Daniel Levy finished his statement on Monday by saying that he had met with the “Player Committee” – a group that includes goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, midfielder Pierre Emile-Hojberg, striker Harry Kane, and center back Eric Dier – who assured him that the squad was “determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season.”
Tottenham host Manchester United in the Premier League on Thursday, with the team aiming to return to winning ways after a recent run of poor results. Spurs currently sit fifth on the league table with 53 points, six points behind both United and Newcastle. A win on Thursday would improve their chances of playing European football next season as the North London giants sit only two points ahead of sixth-place Aston Villa, and three ahead of seventh-placed Liverpool who have a game in hand.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Hzh. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.