Tottenham Hotspur caretaker manager Cristian Stellini insists Antonio Conte leaving the club by mutual consent was ‘best for everyone’ and reveals he will change some of the tactics imposed by his former boss.
Stellini was assistant manager to Conte for many years at Siena, Juventus, Inter and Tottenham, before he was promoted to the main job until the end of the season.
It was prompted by Conte’s furious tirade against the Spurs owners and players, leading to the termination of his contract by mutual consent on March 25.
“I want to clarify that the decision was taken for the best of the club and for everyone. Antonio is good. Everyone took the decision altogether for the best of the club,” said Stellini in his first press conference.
“My relationship with Antonio is still the same, very close and nothing changed between us. I have to say thank you because I have improved a lot in my career under him and it’s because of him. I do the best for him before and I do the best for him until the end of the season.”
Stellini was always Conte’s assistant manager, but now that he has taken the hot seat, the 48-year-old is prepared to enact some changes and bring in ideas of his own.
“We are prepared to make changes in some tactical aspects. We want to continue not only in one way but to change details in the game, thinking about the opponents we face.”
The only times Stellini was head coach in his own right were from 2015-17 at the Genoa Under-19 squad and for just 16 games in 2017 at Serie C side Alessandria.
He was fired after three wins, six draws and seven defeats.