Conte nominated for Manager of the Month

TOTTENHAM Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for February despite overseeing only one game, a 4-1 defeat by Leicester City.

The Italian has been recovering from a gallbladder surgery, making a quick return for the Leicester game in mid-February before being told to rest and recover again.

Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini took temporary charge and they flourished under his compatriot as Spurs beat Manchester City, West Ham United and Chelsea to move up to fourth in the standings.

“Despite only being able to attend one Tottenham match in February while recovering from gallbladder surgery, Conte was heavily involved from afar, helping make decisions and planning training sessions led by assistant coach Cristian Stellini,” the league said.

Conte has been nominated alongside Fulham boss Marco Silva and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Stellini said before Wednesday’s fifth-round FA Cup defeat at Sheffield United that Conte should return this week. Spurs travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow.

The Italian coach will hope to accelerate and tighten the grip for a top four finish in a scramble involving other top teams like Manchester United and Newcastle.

For now, the race for the top spot looks to be between leaders Arsenal and defending champions City unless there is a sudden big meltdown by the two clubs.

Conte has had a somewhat bumpy season as Spurs fans expected the Londoners to challenge for the championship considering the galaxy of stars in their set-up.