Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to provide boss Antonio Conte with some much-needed inspiration as the Italian begins his recovery from a gallbladder operation.
Holding the fort for the foreseeable future whilst Conte rests in his homeland is Cristian Stellini, a figure that Spurs fans have grown accustomed to seeing take press conferences and feature on the touchline from time to time.
However, with a significant fixture against Manchester City coming up this weekend, Stellini will need to rely upon all his coaching experience if the north London outfit are to claim all three points on home soil and move closer to a top-four spot.
READ MORE: Every word Stellini said on Conte Tottenham return, if Pedro Porro will start and Doherty exit
But who exactly is the 48-year-old and what has he achieved in the game previously?
With that in mind, football.london provides a lowdown on everything you need to know about Stellini.
Playing career
Born in the Italian town of Cuggiono, Stellini enjoyed a low-profile playing career, making over 100 appearances for both Ternana and Como. He helped the latter reach Serie A in 2002 with back-to-back promotions, before earning a move to Juventus a year later.
Having suffered a leg injury upon joining, Stellini would make just two appearances for the Old Lady and then joined Genoa in 2004. Scandal would see Genoa relegated to Serie C but Stellini would remain at the club and help them return to Serie A in 2007 prior to retiring.
Coaching career
Stellini joined Conte's coaching staff at Juventus in 2011, having played with him at the club previously. Controversy struck 12 months later, though, when he was suspended by Italian Football Federation following allegations of match-fixing and was forced to resign.
Genoa presented Stellini with a route back into the game, where he became a youth coach. In 2017 Stellini was appointed manager of third-division club Alessandria but was soon sacked in November.
After two years out of coaching, Stellini reunited with Conte for a successful spell at Inter Milan. I Nerazzurri won the Scudetto in 2021, with Stellini taking charge of, and winning, three games when Conte was suspended for yellow card accumulation.
Despite missing out on Conte's stint with Chelsea, Stellini joined Spurs as assistant manager. He resumed dugout duties for the must-win UEFA Champions League clash against Marseille and oversaw a vital win to guarantee qualification through to the knockout stages.
What he has said
Asked by football.london about keeping Conte calm on his return, Stellini showed a humorous side by claiming: "I think no one here can keep Antonio calm! So he knows obviously to have surgery and a surprise like he had on Sunday, it's is not easy.
"He’s an intelligent man so he knows very well what happened to him. It’s not the worst surgery you can have but it’s surgery, so you have to be careful and Antonio has to be."
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