TOTTENHAM manager Antonio Conte will be hoping his side can pull off a huge win over Manchester City – but assistant Cristian Stellini is set to step in for him in the dugout.
The Italian wizard’s right-hand man Stellini has been a close friend of Conte from their time together in Serie A.
And he’ll need to step up as Conte is unavailable for the City clash this weekend having suffered severe abdominal pain.
But who exactly is Cristian Stellini?
Who is Cristian Stellini?
Born April 27, 1975, Cristian Stellini is Antonio Conte’s assistant manager and a former professional footballer.
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Conte’s right hand man was raised in Italy and spent his teenage years playing for Novara and Spal before making the switch to Serie C2 outfit Ternana in October 1996.
Stellini 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.
However, Cristian announced himself to the world when he signed for Juventus in 2003 but unfortunately, a serious leg injury only saw him feature twice before being sold to Genoa.
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What happened in Cristian Stellini’s early coaching days?
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.
And once Stellini was 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.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
