Cristian Stellini’s position as Tottenham’s acting head coach is in serious doubt
Tottenham leaders are in talks over the future of acting head coach Cristian Stellini.
The club are considering Stellini’s position after Sunday’s embarrassing defeat to Newcastle.
Spurs went down 6-1 at St James’ Park last weekend, leaving the club’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
And Mail Sport has learned that Stellini’s role is now under scrutiny at Tottenham, with the club’s board discussing the Italian’s future.
Chairman Daniel Levy has spent the morning weighing whether to issue another management sack and discussing the club’s next steps.
Cristian Stellini’s position as Tottenham’s interim head coach is in serious doubt following yesterday’s 6-1 defeat to Newcastle, with club chiefs discussing his future
Stellini is under enormous pressure after Spurs were beaten 6-1 by Newcastle yesterday
Chairman Daniel Levy is considering whether to resign his board
Stellini, Antonio Conte’s number two, was given temporary charge of the team after the Italian’s departure last month.
But his own future now looks increasingly uncertain.
Ryan Mason, who is a coach under Stellini, would have significant support from Spurs players to lead the team through to the end of the season.
Spurs were left humiliated in Newcastle on Sunday after a performance Stellini described as the ‘worst’ he has ever seen.
Behind the scenes, there are concerns that little has changed under Stellini given his ties to Conte and that the team could use a whole new approach.
Mason has been unable to fully establish his authority over the team since Conte’s departure as he is an assistant.
But the former Tottenham player is well placed to take charge of the team, having held the role of caretaker manager in the past.
Since taking charge, Stellini has overseen a draw with Everton, a win against Brighton and back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle – scoring six times and conceding eleven.
Their performance yesterday was one of the worst in the club’s history and their atrocious start was the second worst ever by a Premier League side – beaten only by Manchester City, who lost 5-0 in 2019 to 5-0 in 18 minutes. Watford was en route to an 8-0 victory that day.
While the players were terrible at St James’ Park, Stellini switched the formation to a 4-3-3 before returning to a back-five as they fell 5-0.
First team coach Ryan Mason is a strong contender to take over Stellini if ββhe is fired
It’s been a terrible and chaotic season for the Spurs, who seem to be missing out on the top four
There are concerns behind the scenes that little has changed under Stellini given his ties to Conte
Ironically, Italy’s Davinson used Sanchez to bolster things up, having sent him off just 23 minutes after coming on in last week’s defeat to Bournemouth.
Stellini apologized to the supporters after the result when he said: “We have to apologize to everyone – and I hope it’s my responsibility today because changing the system was my decision. I hope this was the problem.’
Spurs were fourth when Conte was dropped from his role, but after yesterday’s cathartic defeat, they are now six points behind Newcastle and Manchester United, with their top four rivals still with games in hand.
Meanwhile, Spurs are under threat from Aston Villa, Liverpool and Brighton among them, meaning they could drop to eighth by the end of the season if things don’t improve.
Despite the disastrous tactical switch yesterday, Stellini has changed virtually nothing in Conte’s approach since taking on the managerial role.
The decision to keep Conte’s assistant and the majority of his staff in the back room surprised the players at the time and despite an initial positive impression from Stellini, Spurs’ season is quickly unraveling even further.
Mason – who has been a first-team coach since Conte was appointed in November 2021 – was initially overlooked for the interim job in favor of Stellini.
The former midfielder spent seven games in 2021 under Spurs management after Jose Mourinho was sacked. He’s won four and lost three and he’s open to stepping up again.
The club continues to look for a permanent replacement for Conte with Julian Nagelsmann, Ruben Amorin, Luis Enrique, Vincent Kompany and Arne Slot all reportedly contenders for the role.
However, there has been no approach for fan favorite Mauricio Pochettino, who now looks set to move to Chelsea as their manager after Nagelsmann pulled out of the process.
Luis Enrique (left) and Julian Nagelsmann (right) remain in the running for the regular role
Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici resigned as managing director last week after his appeal against a global football ban was rejected.
It has been a dismal and chaotic season for Spurs and the club now looks likely to miss out on European football.
They also meekly crashed out of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League this year – meaning their trophy drought has been extended to 15 years since they won the League Cup in 2008.
Fabio Paratici, director of football, resigned last week after his appeal against a two-and-a-half-year global suspension was rejected by FIFA over alleged financial irregularities while at Juventus.
They return to action on Thursday when they host Manchester United, before traveling to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday.