Dark, swirling, ominous, grey clouds floated above as incessant rain hurtled to the ground, lit up by futuristic neon lights.
It was reminiscent of a scene from Blade Runner, but this was the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night. With a third defeat (OK, on aggregate) in a week, a second exit from a competition, no goals scored, boos cascading down from the stands, a season all but wasted and a head coach talking about his employers firing him, it felt like Antonio Conte was waiting for the rapture.
“We will see — they might sack me even before the end of the season,” he said. “Who knows, maybe they are disappointed.” Maybe Antonio. Maybe.
Chairman Daniel Levy binned his previous manager (Nuno Espirito Santo) on the Monday morning after a weekend game. And the one before that (Jose Mourinho). Maybe he's waiting for Monday after this weekend's game against Nottingham Forest to keep up the tradition.
It would not have come as a shock if Conte had left the club on Thursday morning, either via being ditched or the time-honoured mutual consent line. In fact, this one would feel like mutual consent, given Conte's public expressions of frustration at Spurs or him occasionally suggesting they're lucky to have him. Plus the fact he's endured such a difficult few months personally, compounded by recently undergoing gallbladder surgery (he still doesn't look back to 'full fitness', as they say, which is hardly surprising given his age and the seriousness of the operation).
So if we make the assumption Conte probably wants to leave and find a more suitable job for his skill set (he's unlikely to be short of offers back home in Italy), but we also draw a conclusion Spurs don't want to keep Conte either – and, as The Athletic reported yesterday, they are in the process of drawing up a shortlist of candidates to replace him – then why is he still in charge? If there is to be a parting of ways at the end of the season, why not just do it now?
Conte's imminent contract expiration on June 30 exacerbates the situation.
If he was on a five-year deal at Spurs, it's doubtful the question of his future would be being asked with such piercing regularity.
Yes, crashing out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of a week has been desperately poor, especially given Spurs have enough quality in their ranks to have beaten both sides they lost to, but they're still fourth in the Premier League. For the transfer fees and wages they've spent compared to their peers, that's fine. Whether they stay fourth for much longer is another question entirely, but the fact is Conte has guided them to a decent league position. It's not been a disastrous season, just a very dull and confusing one that has asked more questions than it has answered.
And while Conte's contract only has three and a half months to run, there is still money at stake – he is not going to forego a few million quid by walking away.
From Levy's point of view, sacking Conte now would cost the club said millions, but securing the one 'prize' still available to Spurs this season, finishing fourth and qualifying for the 2023-24 Champions League (you know, because it's been so much fun this time), would massively outweigh that financial hit.
Conte trudges off after seeing his Tottenham side dumped out of the Champions League (Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
So Levy must decide if Tottenham are more likely to hold their present position and finish fourth with Conte at the helm, or without him. Again, there is no straightforward answer to that.
Spurs have recovered well from difficult periods under Conte in the past. A year ago, they lost to Championship side Middlesbrough at the same last-16 stage of the FA Cup but won 11 of their final 14 matches to pip Arsenal to fourth place. When this season resumed in December after the World Cup, they lost three of five games, including humblings at the hands of Manchester City and Arsenal, but bounced back to win four of their next five (a run which saw Conte nominated for February's manager of the month award… echoes of Nuno there).
He did it a year ago when they had nothing but the league to concentrate on from March 1 onwards, so why not again? There is a sizeable chunk of the campaign remaining – 12 games is just under a third of a full Premier League season.
If they'd beaten Wolves on Saturday, Spurs would only be a point behind third-placed Manchester United. Liverpool are coming up on the rails, which makes their task harder, but their other obvious challenger for a top-four finish, Newcastle, are dropping like a stone, which makes their task easier.
Regardless, a trio of fixtures in late April will go some way to deciding their final league position. In successive games in the space of eight days, they face Newcastle (away), Manchester United (home) and then Liverpool (away).
Levy's deliberations will also centre on how far along his managerial search is. If a shortlist is being drawn up now, it would suggest Tottenham are aiming for a summer appointment, especially if their preferred candidate is currently in work. If the chosen man is unemployed, like some Argentinian guy called Mauricio, for example, then it will happen sooner. But nothing is currently pointing to that being the case.
If Spurs are looking for an end-of-season change in the dugout, it's between Conte and likely interim replacement Ryan Mason as to who Levy thinks is more likely to guide them to that all-important fourth place and the money and status that comes with it – money and status being particularly important to this club.
And on that front, it will depend just how fractious the relationship is between Conte and his squad. It's not exactly thought to be mutinous, despite Richarlison's post-match comments this week, although there is believed to be frustration with Conte's methods, including his standoffish approach and his repetitive training sessions.
Levy will likely be sounding out the thoughts of senior players such as Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris.
If the opinions of fans count, they're not mutinous yet either (that may change if Forest beat Spurs tomorrow). They do appear to have stopped supporting Conte and they're not singing his name anymore. There was the odd chant for Mauricio Pochettino dotted around the ground, and they loudly booed and jeered his late substitution in midweek when replacing attacker Dejan Kulusevski with defender Davinson Sanchez despite needing to score, but they're not actively singing for him to go.
And amid all the hysteria over Conte's future, it's important to remember that he is a greatly experienced, proven, successful manager who's been through this before. His pride will be stinging at all the criticism he is receiving. He'll want to prove some doubters wrong if he stays until that final-round trip to Leeds United on May 28. And yes, if he has a sizeable bonus written into his contract for finishing fourth, he'll want that, too.
Regardless, it all feels like a matter of when, not if.
But whether it's one more game for Conte or 12, it's inevitable all his Spurs moments will be lost in time, like jeers in rain.