Tottenham coach Cristian Stellini breaks silence on replacing Conte

Tottenham interim head coach Cristian Stellini admits he is sad following the departure of Antonio Conte. The Italian saw his long-term colleague and friend leave Spurs last Sunday.

Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent following his furious rant after Spurs’ 3-3 draw against Southampton before the international break. Stellini was his assistant coach and has now been handed the reins, with Ryan Mason alongside him.

Stellini already has experienced leading Spurs, having done so on several occasions when Conte missed games earlier this season due to gallbladder surgery. But it will be the first time he has done so without his compatriot’s direct input.

Stellini says his friendship with Conte has not been affected by his departure. But he admits he cannot help but feel upset about the situation.

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Head coach Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham by mutual consent

He told Spurs Play: “I’m feeling sad, because when you have a managerial change in the middle of the season, everyone feels responsible. My relationship with Antonio is again the same, nothing changes in our relationship because we were friends, we were colleagues, we know each other for a long time and having this situation would not change our relationship.”

Spurs head to struggling Everton on Monday in their first match after the international break. Stellini has opened up about his pride in being given the responsibility to lead the team.

However, he is insisting on full focus on the job at hand. Tottenham currently sit fourth in the Premier League but have the likes of Newcastle and Liverpool breathing down their necks for the final Champions League qualification spot.

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Stellini added: “I feel very honoured and feel I am in the right position to do this. I want to do this with all the staff, with Ryan that is very important for me and the club and it was important when we were in charge when Antonio wasn’t here.

“We feel we can do what we did before, we want to improve, and this is a moment to take responsibility and to improve, all together. We have to continue the job. If we are here, it is because we did a good job.

“And if we are here is because we have to make this decision and make this real because we will work well in that moment. The players, us and everyone in the club has to do something more to help the club to help the players, to help the team because we need a team and we want to show to everyone that we are a team again.”

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