'I think': 44-year-old manager sacked by Spurs has made Conte claim

antonio conte Spurs Mura — Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Andre Villas-Boas has tipped Antonio Conte to do a ‘good job’ at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs made a huge appointment in the form of the Italian coach on Tuesday afternoon, one day after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo.

Conte brings with him a wealth of experience and a glowing CV which includes five top-flight league titles – four in Italy with Juventus and Inter, one with Chelsea in the Premier League.

He might be only second to Jose Mourinho when it comes to high-profile appointments, but hopefully a little better than the Portuguese who lasted only around 18 months in North London.

Villas-Boas was compared to Mourinho early in his career following major success with Porto but when Spurs came calling, the 44-year-old struggled to live up to the billing and, like the former Manchester United and Chelsea coach, was axed a year-and-a-half later.

He told Yahoo Sport: “Conte was very successful at Chelsea and Inter Milan, he can do a good job.

“He is one of those people who puts people into the peaks of performance by motivation, by determining objectives, I think he can be a good fit, depending on that link up with the top.

“But for Antonio it will be a challenge, a great challenge.”

First impression

Let’s be honest, Tottenham were absolutely boring under Nuno for a number of reasons.

But if Conte’s first game was anything to go by, things will be anything but dull from the Lilywhites going forward.

The 52-year-old’s coronation included three red cards and five goals as the English side beat Vitesse 3-2 in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Conte’s side were three goals ahead by the half-hour mark, but the Dutch outfit, who wound up having two players sent off, made it respectable in the end.

There was more excitement in that 90 minutes than four months under Nuno and based on this alone, it’s a huge upgrade.