Tottenham already seeing a change, as the Uniteds yearn for more

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( November 05, 2021 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney Tottenham already seeing a change A new spark around Spurs There was a shock of electricity around the Tottenham Hotspur training ground this week. That may be something that is always said any time a new manager comes in, but it wasn’t the case with Nuno Espirito Santo. And it is always the case with Antonio Conte. The Italian is so effusive, so intensely passionate about what he wants, that it’s impossible not to be taken with him. Chairman Daniel Levy has wiped away so many growing complaints with one move, even if this only emphasises what he should have done in the summer. Most relevantly, Harry Kane has picked up considerably. There had been a growing debate whether Kane’s poor form had been down to physical or psychological reasons, or perhaps a mixture of both. He certainly needed new motivation. Conte will offer that, and so much more. Kane will quickly notice a new role for him, with highly specific instructions that are designed to bring out more in his own game. That is of course exactly what he wanted in the summer - these standards of excellence. Many close to the Spurs camp are now expected a considerable pick-up from Kane in terms of performance. This tends to be the Conte effect. As to whether it’s enough for a winner like the Italian to lift Spurs to the top four, that remains to be seen. They are just two points behind Manchester United, and five behind West Ham United. That is now with a manager who is proven to push the majority of players to the limits of their performance. At the very least, and other than the needless missed three months, Spurs have given themselves the best possible chance of succeeding. This is because they have one of the best coaches in the world. Newcastle badly need some football intelligence We are reliably informed that, when Eden Hazard saw rumours linking him to Newcastle United, he just started laughing. The Real Madrid star simply wouldn’t consider it right now. Newcastle are way too far off, before you even get to the doubts about the direction of the club, that were so well articulated by the botched attempt to secure Unai Emery’s appointment. The fact some of the briefings actually put the Basque off the job is a ludicrous situation for a club to get itself into. It feels like there is a huge gap between reality and the perception that Newcastle’s new owners want to put across. One of the lines after the Emery farrago was that they are “willing to learn” but this is part of the problem. It is remarkable that we are now weeks into the new era and there is no new executive with real knowledge of the game, no sporting director and - still - no head coach. This is how you get into a situation where you somehow go from Emery to Eddie Howe, despite the evident differences between them in terms of ideology and approach. Neither are necessarily survival specialists, however, which is their most pressing need. The situation Howe had in so regularly keeping Bournemouth up was rather different to this. This is also how you get into a situation where so many in the game have been “astonished” at how “clueless” the club’s way of operating has been so far. It’s already been revealed in this letter that one high-profile manager was stunned by the nature of a cold call he had no interest in, while a series of agents have expressed bemusement at how “basic” some of the questions put to them have been. It means this newsletter is likely to feature a fair bit more of Newcastle over the next few weeks - as has been the case for the last few weeks. They are a hierarchy in dire need of some kind of plan. A stark truth at Old Trafford It was of course the realisation that the United job was not going to influence Conte’s decision here. The Spurs appointment should also bring a few other realisations. So much has been said and debated around Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that it has actually become easy to miss the most pertinent point. United are really in an arms race with the rest of the big six. Just about the best weapon you can have, beyond the “war chest” - yes, we did use the phrase - of a huge budget is a world-class manager. United have simply put themselves at a disadvantage by not employing one. This is what it comes down to, beyond the debate over Solskjaer’s exact effect. And one from us... And a self-indulgent one, if you will permit me. Me and my colleague, Melissa Reddy, have been nominated for football writer of the year by the Football Supporters’ Association. Public votes form some of the weighting so, if you’re so inclined, a click for either of us would be appreciated. You can vote [here](. Passing the torch Xavi's return to Barcelona as coach was confirmed on Friday morning. There are many intriguing threads to this, but among the most compelling is one at the core. It is also a question that can be asked of all proteges of great coaches. Do they just mimic what their great mentors say, having only learned it on a superficial level by applying it on the pitch, or have they truly internalised the understanding of what made their teams great? As the ultimate example, think of how many former Manchester United players related what Sir Alex Ferguson but got nowhere near the same results. The game behind the game Many people on the economic side of the sport now fully expect Electronic Arts dominant football game - the “Fifa series” - to eventually go by a different name. The main influences in the potential split are commercial and to do with copyright, but sources maintain there is one political issue, too. Given the ongoing fissure about the biennial World Cup, Uefa and Conmebol are considering whether they should go under the Fifa banner for such enterprises. Top stories [Antonio Conte asks for patience as he bids to turn Tottenham around]( [How to write a Manchester United match report]( Miguel's Dispatches I spent most of the week at Web Summit, the Irish-influenced technology event in Lisbon which always has a heavy football input. I was there to interview Iker Casillas, who is now working with Idoven, a company developing technology so that cardiac problems can be detected long before they manifest. It was a hugely worthy cause, and certainly stood out, just as the former Spanish captain did. For reasons like this, the Web Summit can often be a bit of a who’s who of European football for the past two decades, and this year’s saw all of the following mingling around the speaker and media forum: Peter Schmeichel, Louis Saha, Jens Lehmann, Martin Braithwaite, Sol Campbell, Gilberto Silva, Thierry Henry, Gaizka Mendieta. There was naturally a mini Invincibles reunion in one of the hotels, that looked like a lot of laughs were beig hand, although Henry didn’t hang around. Quote of the day “I am honestly grateful to the interest from a great club, but I am even more grateful to be here and that is why I communicated to Fernando Roig my decision to want to continue to being part of this project.” Unai Emery says a thanks but no thanks to Newcastle United. Reading the game quiz Eight former Internazionale managers have coached in the Premier League since 1992-93. Name them. (Last week, we inadvertently included the same week’s answers rather than those from the newsletter before. So here are the answers from 22 October: Raphael Varane, Angel Di Maria, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Juan Mata, Mario Balotelli, Thiago Alcantara, Victor Valdes, Henrik Larsson, Nicolas Anelka, Karl Heinz Riedle, Jari Litmanen, Fabien Barthez, Fernando Morientes) Essential reading [Manchester United youngster not selected by England as part of ‘agreement’]( [How Antonio Conte’s move to Tottenham can change the course of this Premier League season]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.