Antonio Conte can’t help but feel that Tottenham’s trip to meet destiny against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday night shouldn’t have even needed to happen; his team’s place in the Champions League last 16 ought to already be guaranteed.
Last Wednesday, it was at their own stadium; afterward, it wasn’t. With the click of one of those lines, everything has altered as a result of the VAR-driven decision to overturn Harry Kane’s potential stoppage-time winner against Sporting Lisbon. Spurs must now draw in order to advance. They would be forced into the Europa League if they lost.
There are also the specifics of the red card that Danny Makkelie, the referee, showed to Antonio Conte in the dramatic aftermath of the Harry Kane goal. Conte was got it for intruding on the field, and as a result, he will be prohibited from the locker room and touchline in Marseille. On the journey to the stadium, he will have his final face-to-face interaction with the players.
How will Conte communicate with the dugout from his perch in the stands? By sitting next to his brother Gianluca, an assistant coach, who will then radio down. There are some gray areas under Uefa’s indirect communication regulations.
Even if there are logistical issues, and Marseille manager Igor Tudor stated that Conte should be inconvenienced, the psychological issues outweigh them.
It’s important to note that, despite how absurd it seemed and how much it seemed to demonstrate that few people these days genuinely understand the rules of the game, the VAR got the Kane call right. Spurs must therefore accept their fate and move on. However, it is not that easy, and the flashpoint has added a new level to the mental strain that faces Conte and his players.
Following the trajectory of Conte’s rage following the Sporting match and even on Friday when he sat back down to review the Premier League game on Saturday against Bournemouth, which Spurs won 3-2 despite being behind 2-0, was interesting.
Conte doesn’t think a bigger team, one that plays the angles harder and puts more pressure where he believes it can matter, would have had a goal chalked off in comparable circumstances. Although Juventus, the Italian powerhouses where Conte spent the majority of his playing and managerial careers, were undoubtedly on his mind, he chose not to mention them.
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