Conte makes Tottenham better but no chance they qualify for Champions League

Antonio Conte has gone to Tottenham to get them into the top four but he doesn't have the players to do it.

This is not Chelsea where he had ready-made wing backs, top-quality forwards and a deep squad with a history of winning things.

This is Spurs. Conte makes them better. He's one of the best managers in the world. But he's not a miracle worker.

I don't think he will get them into the Champions League. No chance. And if he gets to spend some money but finishes fifth or sixth it's a waste of an appointment really.

He's signed for 18 months but they will be back to square one if he's walked away by then. If they don't finish top four Harry Kane will be out of there too.

Conte might be the best man to get the best out of Harry Kane again. He will make sure Kane stays in the box and concentrates on scoring goals.

But let's face it, he has got to get Kane scoring or Spurs are going nowhere – and I don't think his future is resolved now at all.

People say he's missed the boat with Manchester City but look how many games they've failed to score in this season.

They need a striker, and they will be back in for Harry Kane before long. He might say he wants to stay at Spurs now, but City can give him what Spurs can't – trophies.

I wonder if Conte will try and play two up front like he did at Inter Milan. It worked for them and they won the title for the first time in god knows how long.

But it's hard to play in a two if you're Harry Kane and you've spent basically your whole career alone up front, allowed to go wherever you like on the pitch.

If you suddenly have to play with another striker and you have to pick your runs and see less of the ball, it can be difficult to adjust.

Spurs fans are going to love Conte. The passion and enthusiasm he shows, running up and down the touchline. He will give the club a lift.

The players will hate the training. He will work them hard and it will drive them up the wall. But I'd be shocked if he doesn't make them better.

You've got to listen when a manager with that track record speaks. They had stopped listeing to Nuno. But Conte has won multiple league titles. When he talks, you listen.

I just think it's going to be hard. They are a long way behind everyone else.

Spurs have probably done this now because Manchester United are so bad that the top four doesn't look quite so set in stone.

The longer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stays there the more chance it gives everyone else, but even though Spurs are only five points behind the top four, on the pitch the gap is huge.

And clubs like Leicester, Arsenal and West Ham will have something to say about Tottenham getting in the top four. It's hard.

If Conte gets them in there in his 18 months in charge it will be job done, even if he doesn't win a trophy.

But if he can't do it, or he walks away in the summer, Spurs are back to square one, and where do they go then?

Cristiano Ronaldo is Michael Jordan without Phil Jackson

Cristiano Ronaldo IS like Michael Jordan – but without the world class manager…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was right to make the comparison because Ronaldo gets his team out of trouble almost as often as the greatest of all time did for the Chicago Bulls.

The problem is that in Phil Jackson, Jordan had one of the best basketball coaches in the world managing his team when they were winning the NBA over and over again.

Ronaldo has Solskjaer. How many trophies has Solskjaer won as a manager?

The worrying thing is that Ronaldo is 36 and he's Manchester United's best player. That can't be right at the biggest club in the world.

I'm wondering where that club is going because even Tottenham have a better manager now in Antonio Conte.

It's scary. United could easily be out of the Champions League already. And they will get beaten by Manchester City this weekend.

They're just drifting along. And that's something Michael Jordan would never have allowed.

Crystal Palace's rise under Patrick Vieira has been phenomenal – he's my manager of the season so far

Patrick Vieira is manager of the year so far for me.

The job he's done at Crystal Palace has been absolutely brilliant. From who they were to how they are playing now is phenomenal.

I love watching them play on the front foot, with pace and energy. I can't talk highly enough of them.

They went to Manchester City and took the game to the champions. Vieira's been an A+ so far. His players are working hard for him.

But they're showing no fear as well. They want to play, against any opponent, not just sit back and defend.

They have a real identity and it's working for them. They should really have even more points than they've managed so far because they keep letting in late goals.

I didn't think it would be a disaster when they appointed him but I thought he would find it harder than he has done, for sure.

Connor Gallagher has been immense with his energy and composure on the ball, Wilf Zaha looks like he's flying, and they still have Eberechi Eze to come back too. It's exciting times.

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