Tottenham have got ten cup finals to save their season - and shape their future.
And entrusting the responsibility of finishing in the top four to the right hand man of the manager they have just sacked seems incredibly bizarre.
In fact, the most surprising aspect of Tottenham ’s announcement late on Sunday night was not that they had finally axed Antonio Conte but it was Cristian Stellini who had been put in charge for the rest of the season.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is taking a gamble on 48-year-old Stelini but actually if you look at it in a different way then it might just be the safer bet.
Stellini took temporary charge when Conte needed extra time off to recover from emergency gallbladder surgery. His results were good enough to get Conte nominated in his absence for Premier League Manager of the Month.
But the wheels came off with the FA Cup exit at Sheffield United and defeat at Wolves. However, Stellini is liked by the players and if it was an English coaching set-up it would hardly be seen as unusual for a coach to take over in temporary charge after the manager had been sacked.
Conte’s extensive backroom staff have all largely stayed - apart from his brother Gianluca who worked as an analyst - to give the club continuity and the best possible chance to reach the top four.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Who should Tottenham appoint to replace Conte? Let us know your picks in the comments below.
Conte’s 16 month reign was a rollercoaster full of meltdowns but he justified his £15m-a-year salary by reaching the Champions League last season.
And anyone who thinks Levy was so naive that he did not know what he was getting into must need their heads testing. Conte has always been excitable, combative and destructive. Levy was aware of the risks.
But this season was laced also with a heart scare and personal tragedy as losing two close friends in ex-fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone and his ex-Lazio defender Sinisa Mihajlovic took its toll.
However, despite the inconsistent results, they are still within a shout of the top four and that will go such a long way to shaping the club’s future and who might be their next appointment.
With a £1billion stadium to fill and pay for, Tottenham need Champions League football but the best managers want to be playing on Europe’s biggest stage.
Tottenham’s run-in is far from impossible but they have a nightmare week in April from the 23rd to 30th when they play Newcastle away, Manchester United at home and Liverpool away which is judgement time against all three top four rivals.
Stellini has been with Conte on and off since 2011, is definitely the calmer side and has more experience than Ryan Mason who will work alongside him.
He looks older than his age of 48 but maybe being a journeyman defender - including spells at Genoa and Como as well as briefly at Juventus - took its toll.
Stellini has no ambition to be manager but could lay the foundations for the next man.
They have got their sights set high with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique. Mauricio Pochettino would be the emotional choice. But maybe Sporting Lisbon Ruben Amorim would be the thinker’s choice with his brand of energy and exciting football.
But for now they are putting their faith in Conte’s methods - but without the man himself.
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Whoever gets the job next has a big in-tray.
These are the key elements any new managed will need to tackle to be a success in North London.
Player power
Every manager has talked about a weakness in the dressing room. Antonio Conte described the players as being “selfish” while others have felt the squad dynamic is too comfortable.
They need players to shake up the current set-up, make the dressing room edgy and make sure no-one is just happy drifting along with no trophies.
Leaders
Harry Kane is England captain and Hugo Lloris is a World Cup winning captain who wears the Spurs armband. But they need more leaders on the pitch. More voices, more captains and bigger personalties who are ready to shake things up.
Harry Kane
England captain Kane will be 30 this summer, will have one year left and is Tottenham’s greatest ever goalscorer. But what for the future? Does he stay or sign a new deal? Whoever comes in needs clarity and a chance to lan for the long term.
His future must be clear for the next manager. Otherwise he will tread water for 12 months.
Joined up recruitment
It was obvious that Conte did not want some of the club’s buys last summer. Just look at how few times he played Djed Spence and Yves Bissouma when they were available.
What is the point of signing players that a manager does not want? Yes, there must be joined up thinking and there has to be a structure beyond the manager.
But the manager has to have more of an input than anyone has had in recent times.
DNA
The biggest own goal of Tottenham’s season was naming Harry Kane among the substitutes for the FA Cup defeat at Sheffield United.
Stellini was on the touchline, Conte was watching from home as he recovered from surgery and they underestimated the need for Spurs to win a trophy and leave behind the losers tag.
They have to start winning again. And saving your top scorer for a cup tie against Championship opposition was a huge mistake which set the tone for the end game of Conte’s reign.
If you want to win - pick the best players.
