Newcastle’s top four rivals Spurs now expected to sack Antonio Conte
Newcastle United are currently competing with Tottenham Hotspur for a place in next season’s Champions League, and there is now set to be a big change in North London.
Antonio Conte went on quite the rant after Tottenham‘s draw with Southampton on Saturday, as the Italian boss took aim at the club and his players. It was extraordinary, and looked like Conte was basically asking to be sacked.
Now it looks like he is going to get his wish.
Tottenham to sack Antonio Conte
According to the Telegraph, Tottenham are expected to sack Conte this week. They describe the situation at Spurs as ‘irretrievable’, with the 53-year-old unwilling to back down on what he said on Saturday evening.
The report adds that Ryan Mason will likely manage Spurs until the end of the season. Alternatively, they could go for a big name manager during the international break, but the Telegraph believe that would be difficult.
Instead, it looks like former midfielder Mason will be the man tasked with galvanising a deflated group that faces an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League.
Big moment in the race to qualify for the Champions League
The outburst came after Tottenham threw away a 3-1 lead to draw with Southampton, less than 24 hours after Newcastle had closed the gap on them after beating Nottingham Forest.
As it stands, Spurs are fourth with 49 points, two ahead of Newcastle. However, Eddie Howe’s side have two games in hand.
The two teams are scheduled to play each other very soon, with Spurs heading to St James’ Park on April 23rd – a fixture that has now been confirmed after this weekend’s FA Cup action.
Sacking Conte could be a defining moment in the race for the top four. They look rudderless under the Italian, boasting no momentum to carry them through their final 10 games.
In contrast, Newcastle have momentum and belief after the previous two weeks. We have beaten Wolves and Forest to recement ourselves in the mix to qualify for the Champions League, and boast an in-form Alexander Isak.
But with Conte on the way out, it will be interesting to see what difference this change makes – even if it is just Mason who takes charge until the end of the season.
Being relieved of the former Chelsea boss’ defensive shackles could see an upturn of fortunes for Harry Kane and co. Alternatively, appointing an inexperienced caretaker manager could fail to inspire an already struggling side.
It is chaos at Spurs, while the calm of Tyneside should give us an edge.
