After a dismal start to the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, Tottenham Hotspur opted to part ways with Nuno Espirito Santo. They swiftly moved to bring in Italian tactician Antonio Conte, the club’s number one managerial target last summer. It is expected that the fiercely competitive and hardworking former Chelsea boss will get things clicking at Spurs again, but how will he go about doing this exactly?
Conte Has a Herculean Task on His Hands
There is no doubt that Conte has a colossal task on his hands. The former Inter Milan manager stepped in at Spurs after 10 games of the top-flight season had been played, with his new team languishing around the mid-table on 15 points.
His task for this season will be to drag them out of this hole and to finish in the top four, thus delivering Champions League football next term. At the time of writing, the Lilywhites are 7/1 to do so with bet365, which is listed as one of the best betting sites in the UK. With a £100 bonus for new players, a punt like this could certainly be an interesting one.
Reguilon and Emerson Key to Wingback System
Conte is famous for deploying a three-man defence with extremely attacking wingbacks providing the width. His favoured formations are 3-4-3, which he predominantly used at Chelsea, and 3-5-2, which he favoured at Inter. In both systems, the wide players are pivotal. In Conte’s first Premier League game in charge against Everton, it was clear that Conte would be using the same strategy at Spurs.
Sergio Reguilon has spent his career as a left back up to this point, but he will be expected to get forward under Conte and deliver crosses into the box. The heatmap for the Everton match showed that Reguilon was the furthest player forward for Spurs, highlighting how crucial his role will be. Emerson Royal will be expected to do the same on the opposite flank, although he wasn’t quite as progressive in that initial game.
Likely to Rejuvenate Kane
Harry Kane announced his pleasure at the signing of Conte and has appeared to have changed his mind about wanting to leave the club. Conte has a knack for getting the best out of his strikers and has always had them firing at every point in his career. Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez, Diego Costa, and Romelu Lukaku have all been prolific in the Italian’s system. It is expected that the England captain will also benefit greatly.
With Conte, Spurs have someone who is more than capable of delivering trophies. He will need time to implement his methods, but there is a chance that he will be able to salvage this season and push on from there next term.