Cristian Stellini Sacked By Tottenham Hotspur After Newcastle Thrashing. After suffering a devastating 6-1 loss to Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur has fired interim manager Cristian Stellini who had only been in charge for four matches. Chairman Daniel Levy described the performance as “wholly unacceptable” and decided to let Stellini go. Stellini, 48, had taken over from Antonio Conte on March 26th.
Ryan Mason, who worked under Stellini and took over when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2021, will replace him. The defeat at Newcastle on Sunday, 23rd April dealt a severe blow to Tottenham’s aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League, with them trailing 5-0 after just 21 minutes.
Tottenham is currently ranked fifth in the Premier League table, trailing Newcastle in third and Manchester United in fourth, each by six points. Spurs will host Erik ten Hag’s side on Thursday, and both teams have played fewer games than them. Since appointing Stellini, who formerly served as Conte’s assistant during his tenure, Tottenham has won one, drawn one, and lost two games.
Stellini also took charge of the side in February when Conte was absent for a gall bladder operation, and under his leadership, Spurs won three of their four Premier League games. However, the team also suffered a loss to Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
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Levy’s Comment
Levy thanked Cristian for his contribution in stepping in during a challenging time of their season and commended him and his coaching staff for their professional conduct. He also announced that Ryan Mason, a former Spurs and England midfielder, aged 31, will take over for the remaining six games of the season. Levy stated that Mason’s familiarity with the club and its players was the reason behind this decision.
How Things Went So Badly Under Stellini At Tottenham?
Stellini apologized for Tottenham’s unexpected defeat against Newcastle and admitted that the team was not prepared enough to play an important match. He introduced a back-four system, which was new for the season, but he quickly reverted to three center-backs after just 23 minutes, when he substituted midfielder Pape Sarr with Davinson Sanchez. The club’s heaviest Premier League defeat since December 2013, a 6-1 loss to Newcastle, was recorded.
Stellini admitted in an interview with Sky Sports that the team was not adequately prepared to play an important match. He stated that they had a good squad, but none of them demonstrated their potential on the day of the game. He also claimed responsibility for deciding how they would play, indicating that they chose a different approach due to injuries. However, he took responsibility and admitted that their decision was wrong.
Spurs fans criticized Stellini’s tactical decisions during his short period as interim manager, specifically when he brought on Sanchez as a substitute in the 35th minute during the 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth. That led to him being booed when he was taken off in the 58th minute.
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Following Stellini’s departure, the club is searching for their fourth permanent manager in four years, after Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019. There have been persistent questions over the playing style under Stellini, with Spurs conceding nine goals across their last two league matches, the most they’ve conceded in consecutive league games since May 2003.
