MY ACCOUNT
Cristian Stellini has taken charge at Tottenham until the end of the season after the dismissal of his close friend Antonio Conte.
The Italian was handed the responsibility earlier this season when Conte had emergency gallbladder surgery and missed several games.
Stellini did enjoy some success in this temporary role, beating Manchester City, Chelsea and West Ham.
Now, he will look to kickstart his short tenure by beating Everton at Goodison Park this evening.
Dier inspiration
Stellini led Tottenham to an impressive 1-0 win over City earlier in the season and the 48-year-old revealed that he and his now assistant Ryan Mason devised a plan to push Eric Dier into midfield.
He said: “Me and Ryan Mason, we spoke immediately during the game that we needed to change something.
“We decided to have Eric Dier being more aggressive in dealing with Bernardo Silva.”
With Spurs’ faltering bid for a top-four finish needing some impetus, Stellani and Mason will need to dip back into their bag of tricks in the coming weeks.
Wing-back problem
Stellini may encounter some problems if he decides to change the shape of the team more significantly, however.
Ivan Perisic is likely struggle as a left-back in a four-man defence and with Ben Davies injured, a competent backline could be difficult to put together.
Tottenham may also lose some of Perisic’s attacking dynamism if he is deployed as a more conventional full-back with the 34-year-old having provided five assists this season.
The source of this is usually his crossing — he has completed 41, the joint-sixth most in the entire division.
Unlocking Son
A real issue for Tottenham this season has been Heung-Min Son’s lack of impact.
The South Korean was one of the best players in the league last season — he shared the golden boot with Mohamed Salah, scoring 23 times despite not taking any penalties.
This campaign, however, he has only found the net on six occasions.
Son has completed just 9.7 final-third passes per 90 minutes in the league this term. For context, Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has completed 10.61.
Still in contact
Spurs fans were confused when the news was initially announced with most presuming Stellini would leave the club alongside Conte.
Ally McCoist has suggested that Conte will still be in contact with Stelleni despite the parting of ways.
He said: “There is no way you are going to cut ties. You will have a conversation, absolutely.
“If you have a bond with someone like that for a long time, then you aren’t going to cut ties with them.
“You are going to phone them. You are going to speak to them. You would be naive to think that Spurs wouldn’t come up in the conversation.”
Stick or twist
Ever since Conte’s appointment, Spurs have primarily played a defensive system.
However, the North London side’s squad arguably does not suit the conservative style that was employed under the ex-Chelsea boss.
Spurs have made the joint-most errors leading to a goal (seven) in the entire division, suggesting that they do not have the quality in defence to adopt a reactive approach.
Stellini now has a difficult choice to make between continuity or a tactical overhaul.
However he approaches things, three points appear crucial if Spurs are serious about qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
