Antonio Conte's win percentage at Tottenham compared to Mauricio Pochettino
The rocky marriage between Tottenham and Antonio Conte is rapidly coming towards an end.
The former Inter and Chelsea boss guided Spurs to the top four last season but inconsistency has plagued the north London side throughout the 2022/23 season and FA Cup and Champions League exits in the space of a week have seen their campaign fall apart in characteristic fashion.
Conte himself only returned to the touchline properly in the 0-0 draw with AC Milan on Wednesday night which resulted in Tottenham's limp exit from Europe's top club competition.
A section of Spurs fans seem to have made their minds up on the next appointment, with sections of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium chanting for old boss Mauricio Pochettino during the game and while walking home.
But how do the pair compare in N17? Here are their records and win percentages analysed.
Antonio Conte's win percentage at Tottenham compared to Mauricio Pochettino
Antonio Conte was brought in midway through the 2021/22 season by Tottenham after the Nuno Espirito Santo experiment came to an early and not-at-all predictable end. After some initial teething issues, Spurs ended the season in strong form and managed to pip Arsenal to fourth spot.
The Italian's sample size of matches in north London makes up just over a quarter of the games Pochettino presided over. The Argentine spent five years at Spurs after joining from Southampton but it wasn't until 2016 that fans saw the fruits of his labour.
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Premier League
Under Conte, Spurs hit their best run of form towards the backend of the 2021/22 season after they'd been eliminated from all cup competitions. The extra preparation time proved key as they won ten of their last 14 league games to finish fourth.
Once he had laid the groundwork, Pochettino saw his side win in the Premier League more often that not. They picked up finishes of third, second, third and fourth in his last four seasons before it all unravelled in late 2019.
Manager | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Points | Win percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Conte | 54 | 31 | 8 | 15 | 106 | 60 | 99 | 57.4 |
Mauricio Pochettino | 202 | 113 | 43 | 46 | 372 | 206 | 382 | 55.9 |
Champions League
Antonio Conte and the Champions League is not a good mix. The Italian has struggled as a manager in the competition and he was unable to break the habit at Spurs as they were eliminated 1-0 on aggregate by AC Milan in the last 16.
Pochettino managed to will Spurs into the UCL final in 2019 thanks to dramatic victories over Manchester City and Ajax in the knockout stages, though Liverpool proved too strong to overcome in the final. The Argentine oversaw a 7-2 defeat to Bayern in his final season but did at least put that catastrophic night right somewhat with 5-0 and 4-0 wins over Red Star Belgrade.
Manager | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Win percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Conte | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | |
Mauricio Pochettino | 31 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 57 | 42 | null |
FA Cup
The FA Cup does not seem to be a point of priority for Tottenham, who have been knocked out at the fifth round in the past four seasons. The victors of those ties? Norwich, Everton, Middlesbrough and most recently Sheffield United.
The last time Spurs reached the competition's semi-finals was back in 2018, when they were defeated 2-1 by Jose Mourinho's Manchester United. Chelsea had dumped them out 4-2 at the same stage the previous season.
Manager | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Conte | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 37.5 |
Mauricio Pochettino | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 57.1 |
Carabao Cup
By the time Conte was appointed Spurs boss, they had set up a quarter-final tie with West Ham which they won 2-1 thanks to strikes from Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura. However, they couldn't lay a glove on Chelsea in the two legs of the semi-final, going out 3-0 on aggregate. This season, they were beaten by Nottingham Forest in the third round.
Pochettino guided Spurs to the League Cup final in 2015 where they were defeated by Premier League winners-elect Chelsea but then suffered defeats to the likes of Liverpool, West Ham and Chelsea. A third round defeat at Colchester in 2019 was one of the final poor results Pochettino couldn't get away from before his sacking.
Manager | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Conte | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
Mauricio Pochettino | 17 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 58.8 |
All competitions
Manager | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Win percentage (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonio Conte | 74 | 40 | 11 | 23 | 130 | 81 | 54 |
Mauricio Pochettino | 293 | 160 | 60 | 73 | 559 | 322 | 54.6 |
Should Tottenham bring back Mauricio Pochettino to replace Antonio Conte?
The pair have similar win percentages as Tottenham managers, though Conte has taken charge of considerably fewer matches. He's not expected to bring up three figures in N17 either, with all signs pointing towards his exit at the end of the season.
Fans are at the end of their tether once again - see the end of the Santo and Mourinho reigns for context - and many want attacking football back given the clear improvements made by division rivals likes Man Utd and Arsenal this season.
Pochettino's return would put more of an emphasis on high-energy chance creation and the improvement of squad players. However, there is plenty to suggest it could be a nostalgia trip that doesn't work out.
Tottenham's infrastructure is messy with question marks looming over the future of Fabio Paratici and Pochettino will be weary of working under a director again given his chaotic time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Pochettino's re-appointment could also be seen as the latest move from a club seemingly incapable of deciding how it wishes to develop on the pitch, but it would at least act as an admission of wrongdoing over his dismissal in 2019.
Whether that would set Tottenham up well for the future is up for debate, but as their most successful manager of the modern era, there are few other candidates with as much backing from supporters as Pochettino, even with his 'no trophy' naysayers.