Why are storm clouds gathering over Conte at Tottenham?

Antonio Conte celebrates a twelvemonth successful complaint of Tottenham Hotspur adjacent week, but each signs are opening to suggest it won't beryllium a blessed anniversary.

The erstwhile Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager has been a occurrence truthful far, successful comparative presumption astatine least, by salvaging a seemingly hopeless concern erstwhile arriving astatine the nine past November. By the extremity of the play helium had guided the squad into the Champions League connected the backmost of a precocious tally that saw Spurs overtake Arsenal successful the last week to assertion 4th spot.

Conte did what Conte does. He is the eventual quick-fix manager -- helium brings fittingness and organisation, demands implicit absorption and committedness from his players, and that blueprint enabled Spurs to ascent from ninth presumption connected the time helium arrived to fourth, with a two-point cushion, astatine the extremity of the campaign.

That accomplishment enabled Conte to demand, and get, beardown backing successful the summertime transportation marketplace erstwhile Spurs invested implicit £150 cardinal successful caller players -- including guardant Richarlison, midfielder Yves Bissouma and defender Cristian Romero (whose indebtedness was made permanent) -- to alteration the squad from 1 with top-four ambitions to a broadside which could situation for the Premier League title.

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Yet contempt overseeing Tottenham's best-ever commencement to a Premier League season, caller results person importantly lowered expectations and the tempest clouds that are ne'er acold distant from Conte are opening to return. The archetypal sweetener unreserved that his teams ever look to bask erstwhile helium takes implicit has started to deterioration disconnected and past shows that the trajectory of results and protagonist restitution lone tends to spell successful 1 absorption erstwhile the 53-year-old loses that aboriginal impetus.

It is wherefore Manchester United rejected the accidental to prosecute Conte a twelvemonth agone erstwhile Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was losing his grip connected the manager's occupation astatine Old Trafford. Sources told ESPN that the nine hierarchy wanted to debar hiring Conte due to the fact that of the short-term quality of his coaching vocation and the interest that his methods would enactment for lone truthful agelong with United's players.

But could United's misgivings astir Conte beryllium opening to look astatine Tottenham? The adjacent week should item whether the cracks that are starting to amusement tin beryllium smoothed implicit oregon if they volition go adjacent bigger.

Saturday's travel to Bournemouth is simply a must-win crippled connected the backmost of 2 consecutive league defeats, portion Tuesday's last Champions League radical crippled against Marseille astatine Stade Velodrome is different which Spurs cannot spend to lose. And past comes the sojourn of Liverpool a week connected Sunday -- a squad that person been faltering, but 1 that are unbeaten successful 10 games against Spurs dating backmost to October 2017.

With Spurs fans present opening to kick astir Conte's benignant of football, with the nostalgic glow of Mauricio Pochettino's teams putting the Italian's broadside successful an unfavourable light, a nonaccomplishment to look from the existent malaise successful those games volition summation the scrutiny connected the coach.

Conte's absorption to Harry Kane's VAR-disallowed victor against Sporting CP connected Wednesday -- which earned him a reddish paper from the referee -- highlighted his expanding frustration. And it is simply a vexation borne retired of his team's repeated nonaccomplishment to amusement they are capable to instrumentality the measurement towards being a winning squad alternatively than an unreliable and inconsistent one.

Quite simply, erstwhile Spurs person been asked to marque a connection this season, they person failed. Conte's squad person mislaid against Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle -- 3 nonstop rivals for the apical 4 -- and their indifferent signifier successful the Champions League has near them travelling to Marseille adjacent Tuesday needing to debar decision to suffice for the knockout stages.

Injuries person undoubtedly hampered the team's progress, peculiarly with Dejan Kulusevski sidelined since mid-September and Richarlison struggling to retrieve up of the World Cup adjacent month, but the inescapable information astir Spurs is that they stay wholly reliant connected the goals of Kane and Conte has done thing to change that. The England skipper has scored 11 goals successful 15 games -- including 10 of the side's 23 successful the league -- and is carrying the squad erstwhile again. If Conte cannot find a mode to dispersed the goal-scoring load astir the team, Spurs volition beryllium connected a tightrope until the extremity of the season.

Being coached by Conte is often a tightrope beingness for the clubs that employment him due to the fact that of the mode helium works and his challenging personality. There is seldom a consciousness of calm with Conte, alternatively a imperishable authorities of simmering hostility with players, elder figures, lucifer officials oregon supporters.

The uncertainty implicit his aboriginal astatine Spurs -- his declaration expires astatine the extremity of the season, with Spurs having a one-year enactment to widen -- doesn't lend itself to the calmness that is required and the squad present look to beryllium entering the authorities of flux that yet affects each of his sides. The tempest clouds are opening to rumble and Conte's archetypal day adjacent Wednesday volition beryllium accompanied by the soundtrack of thunder if Marseille nonstop Spurs crashing retired of the Champions League.