Conte could transform an underperforming Tottenham team.
According to multiple reports, Tottenham are close to agreeing on a deal with Antonio Conte to take over as manager following the sacking of Nuno Espírito Santo.
Spurs are currently lingering in eighth in the Premier League table, with five wins and five losses to their name this season and an embarrassing goal difference of -7.
Antonio Conte: How Man United missed out on the right manager again.
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Did Man United make a mistake by not appointing Conte? If Spurs appoint the Italian, will they finish ahead of United this season?#MUFC pic.twitter.com/W2HVnIqteu
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 1, 2021
Spurs move to appoint Conte.
Spurs tried to appoint Conte in the summer but couldn’t offer him the assurances he needed and eventually settled on the former Wolves manager Santo, who has looked out of his depth from his very first game in charge. However, it now seems that Conte appears to be on the verge of taking over with the task of rescuing Spurs’ season.
It will be no easy task; their star player tried to leave in the summer and has been underwhelming this term – but there is perhaps no manager better qualified to get them winning again than the former Chelsea boss who won the league with the Blues in his first Premier League season five years ago.
But how will he do it?
Spurs under Conte: Defensive solidity.
First on Conte’s agenda will be shoring up Spurs’ leaky defence. They have conceded three goals on four different occasions already this season; unacceptable for a club with Champions League aspirations.
To do this, he will likely revert to a back five in defence, which transforms into a back three in attack – as he did at Chelsea.
It’s worth noting that 3-5-2 is not necessarily his favoured formation – he prefers an attacking 4-2-4 – but will adjust a team’s formation to suit the needs of the squad.
With attacking full-backs in Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilón, he has the players to do this – with Ben Davies potentially tucking in as a left-sided centre-back as he has done for Wales over the past few years.
Eric Dier and Cristian Romero will also benefit from having more bodies around them in defence after being exposed far too often by a passive system under the guidance of Santo.
Republic of Ireland defender Matt Doherty excelled as a wing-back at Wolves, but has struggled in his time with Spurs. Doherty may get a chance under Conte, who has a history of improving the players he coaches. And he is a good fit for Conte’s wing-back system. But Emerson, the summer signing, will probably get the nod ahead of the Irish defender, at least initially.
Spurs under Conte: Freedom in attack.
Any variation of this 3-5-2 system would also free up Harry Kane and Son Heung-min – the two best players at the club by a distance – to attack with the freedom they enjoyed under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
In his last job at Inter, we saw this manifest as Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez struck up a lethal partnership in attack, with the former often drifting into the channels before driving in and setting up chances for his strike partner.
Providing a solid base behind Kane and Heung-min could see them rediscover the brilliant combinations we saw them enjoy under both José Mourinho and Pochettino before him.
Spurs under Conte.
The link between midfield and attack could lie somewhere between Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso. It would likely depend on the opposition but given the principles he would bring to the team, Alli seems like the best option if he can reach the heights of his golden period under Pochettino, playing as a shadow striker and providing energetic pressing off the ball.
Let’s not forget it was a Dele Alli brace that brought Chelsea’s run of 13 consecutive wins to an end back in 2017 – Conte will be well aware of his potential.
Equally, Conte may opt to keep Lucas Moura in the starting XI for his tireless running and directness in attack.
The significant changes needed at Spurs won’t happen overnight but given Conte’s track record of arresting slumps – most notably at Chelsea, when he took over after they finished 10th – Spurs fans should be optimistic that he can get them winning again – in the short term at least.
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