Finally, Tottenham have a proven manager in his prime - and the good times could be about to begin...
(Image credit: Getty)
The Antonio Conte era at Tottenham Hotspur is up and running with a 3-2 win over Vitesse - and just like that, Spurs are back on track.
Of course, the club have a long way to go just yet and any talk of winning the Europa Conference League - or anything else - is a little premature... right?
But that doesn't mean that Tottenham aren't on the right track - now Spurs fans are dreaming that Conte just might be the man to end the long, long trophy drought... here's why.
1. Conte is a serial winner like Tottenham have never had before
Jose Mourinho had been there, done that. He'd won titles everywhere he'd been; he was a born winner - but not by the time he arrived at Tottenham.
Every manager has a shelf life. At some point, everyone winds down, realises they're more suited to international football and that somewhere along the line, the game passed you by. And basically, Antonio Conte passed Mourinho by.
Conte is a serial winner, just like Jose. But he's still at the peak of his powers, having won a league title as recently as last year. While the Tottenham squad's running stats fell off a cliff under the Special One, Conte will ramp them back up, get them pressing, make them compact: all the things that you need to succeed in the modern game, along with the mentality.
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Tottenham went from having a top tactician in Mauricio Pochettino to a winner in Mourinho. Now, you could argue, they have the best of both.
2. The Paratici factor
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Antonio Conte has worked with Tottenham's managing director Fabio Paratici before at Juventus, where the pair combined to devastating effect.
Just a year into their partnership, Juve went on a spending spree, bringing in over a dozen new faces. The headliners were Andrea Pirlo, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabio Quagliarella and Arturo Vidal for a combined €31m, as the Old Lady reinforced every area of the squad with steel.
It paid off with a title, then another two, as Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez were brought in for peanuts, before Conte left for Chelsea. And now history is repeating itself, with Paratici and Conte starting a revolution together. Spurs fans will be thrilled if the club wins one title - let alone the nine in a row that Paratici did in Turin.
3. Kane and Son are in their primes
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were lynchpins for Pochettino. The pair always had the ability to turn games in Tottenham's favour, either or together, as they ascended to become on of the league's most-loved double acts.
Under Mourinho, they matured to become something more. Kane rounded his game to turn supplier, while Son refined his skillset to become one of the most feared attackers in the world. It's safe to say that if Tottenham had a few more players of their ability, they would've won something even under Mourinho.
Now, Kane and Son are 28 and 29 respectively, working under a manager who won Serie A with a similar frontline in Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez. Tottenham's dynamic duo up top, on paper at least, are approaching their golden years. Could they... get better? Potentially.
4. Conte's proven he doesn't need too many world-class players
(Image credit: Getty)
Antonio Conte won a Premier League title with Victor Moses at wing-back. As recently as last season, he did it with Ashley Young. That's not a slight on these players: it's more a testament to how Conte works.
On the red side of north London, we've seen that Mikel Arteta needs better technicians to implement his style of play and compete with the better sides. That's not a problem for Conte. He can take lesser talents and turn them into title winners.
Don't be surprised if Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil, Lucas Moura and Giovanni Lo Celso suddenly look much better than they ever have under the Italian...
5. There's a free run at a trophy this season
The only team who knocked Tottenham out of the League Cup last season, Manchester City, are already out this season.
Given that it's been City's trophy in recent years, that's reason enough for Spurs fans to think they might actually have a shot at a trophy if they put their efforts into that competition this season - especially as the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool won't be that bothered about winning it.
And then there's the Europa Conference League. Tottenham are the strongest team in the competition by a mile: the next best is Jose Mourinho's Roma side - who you'd think the players would be well up for beating - and they've already looked ropey in the tournament.
It's not unrealistic to expect a good run in both tournaments, really - and who knows what can happen in the FA Cup...
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
