Tottenham Hotspur sacked interim manager Cristian Stellini following poor run of games despite being in charge for just four matches.
Cristian Stellini, 48, replaced sacked Antonio Conte on March 26th after his 16-month spell as Spurs boss came to an end.
Ryan Mason who worked under Stellini and was the caretake manager when Spurs sacked Mourinho in 2021 will now be in charge again.
Tottenham Hotspurs’ 6-1 loss to Newcastle on Sunday stands as a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Daniel Levy, who was not happy with the results, said that; “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was devastating to see”.
“We can look at many reasons why it happened and while myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.”
Spurs are currently 5th in the Premier League and they are six points behind both Newcastle in third and Manchester United in fourth.
Newcastle and Manchester United have played less games than Tottenham this season, and Spurs are set to play Erik ten Hag’s side on Thursday.
Stellini was in charge when Conte was suspended in February and under him, Tottenham won three of their four Premier League games despite Conte’s absence, but also losing to Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
“Cristian Stellini will leave his current role along with his coaching staff. Cristian has stepped in at a difficult point in our season — and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and coaching staff have conducted themselves during such challenging time. We wish him and his staff well”, Levy continued.
Ryan Mason, 30, a former Tottenham and England midfielder, will manage the team as an interim coach for the final six games of the season.
“Ryan Mason will take over Head Coach duties with immediate effect. Ryan knows the Club and the players well. We shall update further on his coaching staff in due course.”
“I met with the Player Committee today – the squad is determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season. We are all clear we need to deliver performances which earn your [Spurs fans] amazing support,” Levy concluded.
How Things Went Bad For Tottenham Under Stellini
Cristian Stellini tendered apology to the team after the Newcastle defeat on Sunday, he also confirmed that the performance was “unexpected”.
He has been using the three center-backs system since he was appointed, but used a back four for the first time this season on Sunday.
In that match, he eventually switched back to three center-backs after 23 minutes when he substituted midfielder Pape Sarr with Davinson Sanchez.
Newcastle delivered Tottenham Hotspurs’ heaviest Premier League defeat since December 2013, where they lost 5-0 to Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Stellini in a post match conference said: “It went so badly because we were not prepared enough to play an important match.”
“We have a good squad but today no-one showed how good we are. It was my responsibility to decide how we play and we decided to do it differently because of the injuries. It is my responsibility, I took it and it was wrong.”
“I have to take responsibility because once we changed system we played better, scored and showed fight. It’s very difficult to understand why the first 25 minutes were so bad.”
Stellini’s tactics drew the dislike of Spurs fans during his short reign , especially when Sanchez was brought on as a substitute in the 35th minute during the 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth and then taken off in the 58th minute.
Tottenham have changed four different managers in four years since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019.
Under Stellini, Tottenham conceded nine goals across their last two league matches which is the most they’ve conceded in consecutive league games since May 2003.
