Antonio Conte Tottenham 2022-23 HIC 16:9Getty

Spurs are specialists in failure but Antonio Conte's reputation as 'The Messi of managers' has been tarnished by his explosive exit

Antonio Conte has been sacked as Tottenham manager – and nobody is the least bit surprised. To say it had been coming would be a massive understatement.

Conte's tenure effectively ended after an extraordinary four-minute tirade in the press room at St Mary's, during which he slated not only his players but also his employer.

By blaming everyone bar himself for the club's culture of failure, the Italian effectively asked to be sacked. His request was belatedly granted on Sunday night. The only surprise is that the decision was not made sooner.

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Conte's departure has once again sparked a debate in north London and beyond over Daniel Levy's running of the club, and rightly so.

As Conte quite correctly pointed out, the one common denominator in Tottenham's trophy-less era is the chairman.

The outgoing coach is not the only person who believes that nothing will change while Levy remains at the helm.

However, while Spurs are rightly regarded as specialists in failure, it has to be said that this whole affair has cast Conte in an incredibly poor light.