If this was to be Antonio Conte’s final actual stand at Tottenham, what a limp method for the top coach to bow out.Conte might plod on at Spurs till the tip of the season, going by way of the motions because the membership pushes for an additional top-four end, however they’re out of the Champions League after a flat 0-0 draw with AC Milan within the last-16 second leg, extinguishing the final spark of their dispiriting marketing campaign.In a becoming encapsulation of the cautious and uninspiring soccer which has characterised the facet this season, Conte’s final main act on the night time was to ship on centre-back Davinson Sanchez for ahead Dejan Kulusevski after Cristian Romero was dismissed within the 77th minute.It was met by boos from a house crowd who had performed their greatest to elevate the hosts however have been left to endure one other pedestrian and predictable show in a season stuffed with them.What now for Conte, who has nonetheless gained only one Champions League knockout tie in his profession?READ MOREHe is broadly anticipated to go away the membership when his contract is up in the summertime and this consequence will forged main doubt on his probabilities of lasting that lengthy, now that Spurs have crashed out of a second cup competitors within the house of per week.All that’s left for Spurs is the ultimate 12 League video games below a head coach who has constantly refused to decide to the membership and whose ways are not thrilling or efficient. Spurs final gained a sport with Conte in cost on January 28, in opposition to Preston North Finish.For the Italian to see out the marketing campaign, he should hold Spurs in fourth and well-placed to return to this competitors subsequent season.The 0-0 draw was not as dangerous because the 4-1 defeat to Leicester, Conte’s final match within the dugout, however Spurs have been so flat and insipid within the first half, you genuinely puzzled if the top coach and his gamers have been conscious they have been 1-0 down from the primary leg on the San Siro three weeks in the past.From the off, Conte’s picks and ways have been as predictable as ever, with Spurs trying to adsorb strain and launch fast transitions by way of Harry Kane – by far their standout participant – regardless of Milan having no incentive to create the required house on the again.The primary half was notable just for bookings for Romero and Clement Lenglet, which might have dominated them out of the quarter-final first leg and spoke to the indiscipline in Spurs’ ranks. Having clattered Rafael Leao, Romero was deservedly despatched off for taking out Theo Hernandez with 13 minutes remaining, dampening any probabilities of a comeback.Cristian Romero was punished for as soon as once more flying into pointless challenges / APCharacteristically, Spurs had raised the tempo in the beginning of the second interval, which solely begged the query — for the umpteenth time this season — of why they weren’t extra adventurous from the off.Their elevated depth served to encourage Milan, nonetheless, and Fraser Forster completed the night time with two necessary saves, denying Brahim Diaz a second objective within the tie and later Olivier Giroud.Leao additionally struck the put up in stoppage time, as 10-man Spurs left gaps as they pushed for an equaliser.The closest Spurs got here to a objective which might have taken the tie to extra-time was a Kane header deep into stoppage-time, well-saved by Mike Maignan, whereas Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg additionally examined the goalkeeper and Sanchez had a penalty attraction waved away shortly after his controversial introduction.The guests have been deserved winners ultimately, with Diaz and significantly Leao an actual handful for Spurs, and their defence, together with Fikayo Tomori, untroubled by Kane, Kulusevski, Heung-min Son and later substitute Richarlison.This isn’t, nonetheless, a classic Milan facet, removed from it, and for Spurs to fail to attain, nor muster greater than an opportunity or two of actual observe over the course of the 2 video games was one other damning indictment of Conte’s method.The top coach’s future now feels much more unsure than it was, whereas Spurs’ season is decreased to a scrap for fourth place, which few followers actually care about.
Insipid Conte method falls flat once more to go away Spurs in limbo
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