The remarkable numbers behind Antonio Conte’s Tottenham success amid ‘disrespectful’ claim

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has been strongly linked with a return to Italy with the Juventus job seen as an ideal gig for him.

The Italian manager’s daughter and wife still live in Italy and he shuttles between England and Italy when he can to strike the precious balance between work and family.

Here in England though the bond between manager and fans continue to strengthen by the day.

Even if there have been concerns about the kind of football the team plays, the numbers show the Italian manager is on the right track and squeezing the right things out of the squad at his disposal.

Spurs top the Premier League based on form in the last 10 games

Tottenham have continued their brilliant form from the tail end of last season and have sat pretty top of the Premier League table for the last 10 games.

They are just one point off the top spot in their first seven games this season.

They have only drawn two of their last 10 matches, one against Chelsea and the other against Liverpool that took the wind out of the sails of Jurgen Klopp’s title challenge.

Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion make up the top four based on the last time games.

Although the Spurs boss is always quick to downplay his impact, there’s no hiding from the fact he’s enjoying his time in north London.

So much so he has declared being linked to the Juventus job as disrespectful, saying: “Firstly, I think it is very disrespectful to the manager of Juventus and also very disrespectful to me as Tottenham manager.

“I’m very happy here at Tottenham and I have a good relationship with the owner and chairman and football director,” he told reporters ahead of the North London derby.

Top four finish tougher than winning the Premier League title

Tottenham’s Italian manager also declared finishing ahead of Arsenal and snatching Champions League football from the jaws of their bitter rivals was more fulfilling to him than winning the Premier League title last season.

When he took over the team they were eighth in the Premier League and Chelsea were top, but he studied the ship and tightened the back.

By the time the season was over, Tottenham had the best defence, conceding only five goals in their last 11 Premier League games and seizing momentum from arch-rival Arsenal to return Champions League football to the Spurs, for the first time in three years.

He told reporters after hammering Norwich 5-0 on the final day of the 2021/2022 season: “It’s never positive to come into a team during the season.

“For me it was a big challenge, maybe the biggest challenge in my career.

“When I stayed at the top level as a coach, I wanted to prove myself in a different situation with a lot of problems to solve.

“I’m really satisfied. I want to thank my staff and my players. If we were able to reach this big achievement, it’s because everyone gave everything.”

More goals in the league and unbeaten ahead of North London derby

The odds are stacked against Tottenham going into the North London derby with the Lillywhites without a win at the Emirates since 2013.

They’ve only managed just one win in their last 29 attempts at Arsenal’s grounds even though there are some huge draws in there.

What is working in favour of the Tottenham team is that Arsenal have been beaten this season while Spurs have managed to shut that door and remain without defeat.

Only Manchester City lay claim to that impressive start to the campaign.

The longer a team goes without a defeat the better the urge to keep the run going - and Spurs are certain to build on that enviable start to the campaign.

There is also the feeling that Tottenham is somewhat a defensive side but the stats show that they have the second best goals this season with 18.

And only Manchester City have scored more with 23 heading into match day 8.

There is still a long way to go.

But as long as the Italian manager continues to grind out the results and squeeze every drop of energy from his team, he’s on course to meet the target.

Conte could be on track to re-establish this Tottenham team to a stable top four squad and challenging for titles again.