Antonio Conte may not have guided Tottenham to silverware but he is in an excellent position to achieve that feat with Napoli. Taking on the hotseat at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last June, the Italian side are now top of Serie A heading into the final four games of the 2024/25 season.
His former club Inter Milan were previously leading the way for the Scudetto but it is now Napoli in the driving seat following what could prove to be a decisive weekend in the campaign. Playing prior to Napoli's home encounter against Torino on Sunday, Inter succumbed to a 1-0 home defeat against Roma following Matias Soule's first-half strike.
A result that gave Napoli a huge lift going into the evening game, they didn't pass up the opportunity to take pole position in Serie A as a Scott McTominay double helped them claim three precious points. The Scudetto could now be heading to Naples for only the fourth time after their previous successes in 1986/87, 1989/90 and 2022/23.
It will be some achievement from Conte as well if they do claim the title after such a dreadful title defence 12 months ago that saw Napoli finish 10th in Serie A. The former Chelsea boss even said on the eve of the season that it could take at least sixth months for his new club to be competitive again.
However, with four games left to play they hold a three-point lead over their title rivals. The remaining fixtures look extremely kind to Conte and Napoli as they do not play a team higher than 13th in the standings in their final four games.
It's hard to see them passing up their lead and allowing Inter to come from behind to triumph, especially with Conte having a wealth of experience in getting his teams over the line. The Nerazzurri's run to the Champions League semi-finals could also have an impact on their title chances as they will be targeting European success after losing the final to Manchester City two years ago.
Amid Tottenham's struggles to get their hands on silverware after last winning a trophy back in 2008, there is a long list of players who have enjoyed success elsewhere having departed N17. That list could become even bigger next weekend with Harry Kane and Eric Dier on course to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich as they hold an eight-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen with three games remaining.
Managers have also triumphed since departing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Conte in line to win Italy's top prize in his first season since returning to club management following his Spurs exit in March 2023. His departure followed an incredible press conference at Southampton where he pulled no punches as he let fly at his team and the club after surrendering a two-goal lead late on to draw 3-3 with Saints.
“I think it’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team. We are 11 players that go into the pitch," he stated. "I see selfish players, players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [into it]. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team you cannot improve.”
He later added: “It is easy in this way [playing without pressure or importance]. Tottenham’s story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here.”
Napoli's 2-0 win over Torino came on the same day when Ange Postecoglou, Conte's Tottenham successor, saw his team thumped 5-1 at Liverpool. Tottenham remain 16th in the Premier League table after their Anfield embarrassment but the Australian, who is under huge pressure right now, does still have the chance to buck the trend of the Spurs head coaches before him failing to win a trophy.
The full focus in what remains of the season is on Tottenham winning the Europa League, with the first leg of their semi-final showdown against Bodo/Glimt coming in north London on Thursday night. Spurs can still finish the season on a positive note by winning the trophy in Bilbao but it's hard to escape from what has been a truly dreadful season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Conte, on the other hand, has enjoyed a remarkable campaign in Naples since a heavy defeat on the opening weekend at Hellas Verona and it may well end in Scudetto success.