Antonio Conte’s assistant manager and close friend Cristian Stellini is set to step in for him in the dugout for the Tottenham vs Chelsea match today. Born April 27, 1975, Stellini is a former professional footballer who spent his teenage years playing for Novara and Spal before making the switch to Serie C2 outfit Ternana in October 1996. He inspired Ternana to Serie B promotion two years after signing for the club, and by 2002, the Italian coach was making his Serie A debut for Como against Empoli. In 2003, Stellini signed for Juventus but unfortunately, a serious leg injury only saw him feature twice before being sold to Genoa.
Conte appointed Stellini at Tottenham in September 2021, but the Italian also worked under Conte at Juventus in 2012. However, Stellini was forced to resign from his posting as a technical assistant at Juventus for alleged match-fixing where he was suspended for two and a half years. After being eligible to coach again, he was dismissed from Lega Pro club Alessandra after signing a two-year contract for poor results. But Antonio Conte hired Stellini again as a managerial staff for Inter Milan in the 2019/20 season and the pair went on to clinch the Scudetto together. Now, Stellini is set to take charge of Tottenham in Conte’s absence as they take on London rivals Chelsea.
