Comparing Antonio Conte’s start at Tottenham to his start at Chelsea

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Conte looks dejected watching his Tottenham Hotspurs side play Southampton. St Mary's Stadium, 28 December 2021.

Planet Football
9th January 2022

Antonio Conte has had success at almost every club he has managed at, but he finds himself in the middle of his toughest challenge yet with Tottenham.

The Italian boss is used to delivering almost instant success, but Spurs have not won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup and have not finished in the top four since the 2018-19 season.

At Chelsea, he won the Premier League title in his first season and that remains the Blues’ most recent title success.

But his second season saw Chelsea slump to a fifth-place finish, and despite his triumph in the FA Cup final over Manchester United, he was sacked in favour of Maurizio Sarri.

Since taking over in November at Spurs, Conte’s first two months have seen him exposed to the scale of the challenge that awaits him.

His side was even knocked out of the Europa Conference League after losing to the Slovenian team Mura and also lost against Chelsea in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.

But he has successfully steered his side through the difficult winter period and remains unbeaten in the Premier League, a run of form that has made the North London club serious challengers for the top four.

The highlight was Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Liverpool during which the Italian demonstrated his tactical nouse to frustrate Jurgen Klopp’s side and almost claim all three points.

We’ve taken a look at how his first 12 games at Tottenham compare to his start at Chelsea in 2016.