Following Tuesday’s humbling defeat at the hands of Sporting CP, our attention now turns to Spurs’ 7th match of the Premier League season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the division’s basement side, Leicester City, this coming Saturday, kicking off at 5:30 pm BST.
After the postponement of domestic matches following the tragedy that swept the nation last week, this match is well and truly on. For better or for worse, however, we shall soon find out.
Now with Lucas Moura still the sole absentee from our squad, Antonio Conte, as has been the case for weeks now, has a mini-selection headache ahead of our last match prior to the final international break before November’s World Cup. A brilliant debate has been brewing with regard to this issue, and one you can view and contribute to here should you wish to do so.
However, with the Leicester match fast approaching, Conte himself has given his take on this selection dilemma. Speaking to Football.London in his pre-match briefing before the media, Conte addressed several issues that have been feverishly debated by our supporters this week. When asked if he deemed Heung-min Son “undroppable”, in spite of his goal drought this season, this is what he had to say:
“There are no players that are undroppable. This has to be very clear. There are no players that are undroppable. Because if I tell this, it’s only to try to help my players and to try to avoid injuries, to try to have players at the top of their form and to have a good performance. If I am telling this it is only to protect my players and to give them the possibility to be, in every moment, at the top.
Then you know very well you can play one game well, another you can score, another not, but my task is to try to protect my players and to protect the team. Also to find the right way to have a result.
Don’t forgot sometimes when you don’t start with certain players, it means during the game you have this player with the possibility to use him during the game. But I repeat if we want to play this four competitions and especially I repeat the Champions League because it is different to play Europa League or Conference League.
Europa League and Conference League can give you the possibility in the group stages to make rotations and then also if you drop a bit the quality of the starting XI, maybe you can win the game. In the Champions League they are always massive games and for this reason I need to have all my players available. I need all my players available for rotation to be in every moment ready when I call them to play and to play well for the team, for the club, for the fans, for everybody.”
When discussing the potential selection dilemma regarding wing-backs, he expressed his contentment with Emerson’s displays thus far, whilst noting that he may be due a rest given how he has started every game this season:
“In my opinion Emerson, he had a good start in this season and he can play in this position and is doing well. In the last game, in Sporting Lisbon, he can score three goals, not one, he can score three goals. In every game he is totally involved and don’t forget Emerson played every game in this period. For sure now he can be a bit tired because the wing-back, you can be fatigued because you become a striker when you are going to attack and you have to become a defender when we have to defend, but I’m really happy about Emerson’s performance because you have to think, compare last season and he’s made a good improvement.
He has to continue to work to do it and at the same time you know that we also have Ivan Perisic who can play on the right or left and Sessegnon, he is fit and he’s in a good moment of form. For sure maybe he’s one of the players that in this moment deserves to play, like Deki, but we’ll do it with the right time and the right patience, to try to do the best for our team.”
Conte then proceeded to discuss the midfield options presently at our disposal, stating that Yves Bissouma was still “struggling with the tactical aspect” of his methods. When pressed further on this issue by the reporters at the conference, he expanded on his stance by stating:
“If you compare other midfielders I have seen that other teams spent £60m, £70m, £50m. It depends on the view. I think that we spent the right money. Don’t forget that we spent a lot of money on players that now have gone out on loan.
It doesn’t matter if you spend money, you need to have players to go into our idea of football. There are players that do this quickly like Richarlison, Lenglet, like Perisic and then other players that need a bit of time.
Also the midfielder is a specific role for us, with the ball and without the ball. It’s not simple. I ask for some moments, some positions. They have to be a point of reference in every moment of the game.
The midfielder for sure, to go into our idea of football is maybe the most difficult position, but we are talking about a player that has great skill, good running. With the ball he’s really good, defensively he has to pay more attention. More attention because especially we only have two midfielders and then they have to be good with the ball and without the ball, but I’m really happy with his signing.”
These quotes provide a fascinating insight into the manager’s current thinking towards our options looking forward and open up a whole raft of questions going into this match.
Indeed, does Conte persist with Son in one, last bid to break his goal drought before the international break?
Will we see Emerson rested, and subsequently, Perisic shifted to the right, and Sessegnon brought into the left? Or do we see a first start of the season for one of Spence/Doherty? Given Conte’s reference to Perisic’s ability to play on the right, I think this is more likely, but I would not be surprised to see Emerson start from the off despite Conte’s allusion to his ‘tiredness’.
At the back, it may be a case of bringing Lenglet back into the fold given his ability to orchestrate attacks from defence, but Conte’s comments regarding Bissouma’s adjustment to his style would seemingly indicate that Bentancur and Hojbjerg will once again form our midfield pairing.
Meanwhile, a quick glance at our opponents really puts things into perspective for those who have been moaning and groaning about our recent performances. Now here we’ve got a bunch who are in the proverbial: no wins in 6, with one point to show for it; a defence that is leaking goals for fun; and causing unrest within a squad that is ostensibly harbouring a minimal interest in playing for their manager following a summer of turmoil that saw them lose key players like Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana.
In spite of all those problems, Leicester’s squad is in relatively healthy nick coming into this fixture, with only Dennis Praet a minor injury doubt and only long-term absentees Ryan Bertrand and Ricardo Pereira missing out.
Irrespective of Leicester’s problems, however, it is still worth remembering that this is a Premier League fixture, and the Foxes still possess several players that can hurt us. Whether or not he starts, Jamie Vardy will probably feature at some point, and we all know that he loves a goal against us, being Leicester’s top scorer in this fixture with 8 league goals to his name against Spurs.
Moreover, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison are talented chaps who possess the technical ability to fashion dangerous openings against any opponent, whilst Patson Daka, Harvey Barnes, and Kelechi Iheanacho are all a nuisance on their day.
Now I will finish by caveating all of that in saying that, if our attacking players are on it, there is no way that anything those Leicester players I’ve just mentioned can do will prove meaningful to the final outcome. They may score once, they may score twice, but even so, there is no chance they will manage to restrict our forwards if we are on song – and this arguably a big ‘if’, given the disjointed display of our front three on Tuesday night.
Nevertheless, it is ultimately up to us to grasp the nettle, assert our dominance at home against a fragile opponent, and really go out with a bang before the international break. It’s football, anything can happen – but if we replicate a similar performance to the one against Fulham a fortnight ago, we should win this comfortably.
omar,
you write a book chapter’s worth of material for this thread. lol
I hope Son doesn’t start. Time for something to snap him out of the stupor (for him) in which he’s been playing. Never thought I’d be thinking this about our perpetual motion and happiness man.
If our lads aren’t motivated for this one after the added time disaster of the last one, then we can give up on the season. I’m expecting a bit more energy this time than we’ve been exhibiting so far this season.
Blame Conte for the quantity of material mate haha!
The Son one is tricky, he certainly does seem to be stuck in some kind of stupor as you say, and in some instances (like Tuesday night), it appears to be having a negative impact on those around him. Regardless of how he’s stinking the place out like Stig of the Dump, he can score a goal from nothing. I know he’s yet to do that, but he loves playing Leicester, and I don’t see their defence keeping him out. Either way, however, I trust Conte’s judgement, and if Kulusevski were to come in for him, I’d have no objections.
Agree wholeheartedly on the last point, there is no way the lads need any more motivation for this weekend – they’re paid enough as it is, so the question of motivation should be immaterial!
The motivating power of money is limited. Make enough of it, and it’s value decreases. Pride can be more motivating that money, as can love–including the love of good play. How many rich athletes have we seen who mope about a pitch?
You are spot on!
I think this is a banana skin game in the sense that Leicester are better than their current standing shows, and surely you’d expect them to start picking up points at some point.
Having said that, they are clearly going through issues.
I also think the untimely death of the Queen has also given Leicester more time to prepare for us, whereas we had CL football to worry about.
I expect a difficult game, but we have been grinding out results lately – let’s hope that continues.
I find Conte’s comments interesting – if Royal needs a rest and he would rather play Perisic on the right to give him a rest, what does it say about Conte’s opinion of Doherty? Spence is young and his time will come soon enough – he’s the heir apparent. But if Doherty still can’t get a game under these conditions, what is he still doing at the club? Strange one because Conte seemed to rate him last season.
As for Bissouma, there is little doubt in my mind that once he starts playing the way Conte wants him to, he’s likely to walk into the team. It’s just a bit of a transition period. Let’s not forget that it took Thiago Alcantara almost a year to start playing well for Liverpool.
Son or Kulusevski is trickier. Conte clearly wants to give Son every opportunity to rediscover his form. Both are great players when in form, and it just comes down to man management and motivation.
Belgian, some excellent points there…despite Leicester’s problems I think it will be a tough game, we have to win it as they are all over the place, but their extra time preparing is something we should be wary of as you quite rightly say.
I think with the Doherty issue it’s his recovery from his injury at Villa Park rather than Conte not fancying him outright – he mentioned him in the presser briefly in the same vein as Skipp, saying that he’s still feeling a bit of pain in the knee he injured in training so hsis fitness levels aren’t at the levels he hoped they would be. He’ll give him the international break, where he’ll play with the Republic of Ireland, to prove his fitness and take things up a notch. This is only my understanding of it, as, apart from Royal’s superior energy and fitness, I don’t see how Doherty has any less of a case to start on the right.
The Thiago comparison to Bissouma is outstanding mate, people forget how hard this transition period can be, in such demanding systems like Klopp’s and Conte’s, the requirements of a midfielder will be solid for these guys to get their head around. Once it passes I can foresee him and Bentancur being the first-choice pair.
Tricky one on Son-Kulusevski indeed, the latter has obviously done more on merit of late but class is permanent either way, and it’s a matter of time before Son ends his drought. We’ll see.
This will be a toughish game I think, but a reprisal for Tuesdays debarcle is on the cards!
Regards our favoured Son, me thinks its not about dropping him because of his current form, I honestly think he needs a rest! if that makes sense! Lol!
Also regards Bissi, BS’s comparison to Tiago is pretty spot on! the young man still has age on his side, thus still learning.
I am going for a 4-0 win on Saturday evening. COYS
Nobody else has mentioned about the opposition. Conte is predictable and its easy to set up against us
Let’s hope Conte has a change of heart and starts playing some attacking football.
We cannot continue being so dismal and predictable.
According to press reports, Conte is hope to return to Juventus at the end of the season. If we lose to Leicester, it might come sooner as he threatened to leave once before.
Maybe if he bites the bullet and plays Spence and Bissouma we might see some decent football and chances provided for our starved front three. Son, Kane and Richarlison need more than scraps to feed on.
There is no link between midfield and attack. Isn’t Harvey White a creative midfielder. He was a youngster when he first sat on the bench. He will be retiring soon without a game despite his potential.
Time for some changes, Conte. Be brave. This boring style can’t last all season surely.
There is no excuse on this earth that could adequately explain another poor performance against this lot. Not they had more time to prepare nor better than their results blah, blah. Another boring display of pedestrian pace and lack of technique signals only one thing; no buy in to the manager’s system. A bit rusty against the Saints OK and gutsy against Chelsea but awful for the last four outings without any corrective action. Hoping to have to eat my words but not expecting any change if he puts out the same team selection.
Bissouma’s limited earlier chances have been dismal but perhaps a lot of that can be taken from Conte’s statements of him not fitting into the system. It’s very difficult to have any kind of successful performance when one is too much in their head. Too much thinking and the ball is lost. It’s a strange midfield that Conte directs and probably for most it’s very unnatural. That’s why unfortunately a new creative midfielder may never work in his system which is a shame because it’s what can provide service to the front three and makes the game more entertaining for us to watch.
In regard to Son, it seems to me he continues to pull out of challenges or doesn’t go in as hard as can to win the ball in 50/50 moments. It’s a heavy momentum turn when he bails out on these situations and causes severe pressure on our defenders. I also believe it mentally brings him down and thus effects his goal scoring confidence. Maybe he has a slight injury or is tired for some reason. If that’s the case then he should definitely sit and regroup himself.
I’m very curious to see Spence play as right fullback in this system. He needs to be given a chance or his connection to the team will get diminished. He came at high transfer fee and it’s ridiculous not to give him an opportunity.
Conte is stuck in a rut. Scrappy results has meant he is unwilling to try and attack. Better not to lose is his motto.
We have already seen the decline in Son’s play and Kane dropping deeper and deeper
We then expect Richarlison to be the Messiah and score goals out of nothing.
Substitutions come at a late stage because Conte dare not change his boring set up.
Spence has played for 90 seconds against Forest and looked more lively than anyone on the pitch.
Harvey White looks gloomily at his phone as he waits for his 60 seconds at the end of a game.
Bissouma is energetic and forceful but doesn’t fit Conte’s boring defensive set up. He will need to become boring to get another start.
Spence is too adventurous and likes to score so he will have to wait for a new coach.
So let’s carry on boring the opposition and fans to death to sneak a few results.
Is conte telling let’s say bissouma to play a different way to the way he was playing at Brighton. Does conte allow any freedom from his player’s. Another bad performance against Leicester and Q will be have to be asked. Will he rest some players or keep the same 11 or 12 players used. Also is their really need to have so much defenders on the bench.
Counter attacking football does not have to be boring. The problem in recent weeks has not been that we’ve been relying of the counterattack instead of an all out attack, but that the lads have been back passing and passing from side to side instead of counterattacking.
If you’re going to play counterattacking football, don’t forget the part where you attack on the counter.
Counterattacks require attacks or they are not counterattacks. Backwards passing and passing from side to side, which allows the opposition to take up their defensive positions guarantees boredom. It also guarantees failure when the ball finally begins to move forward.
It may not be equivalent to watching paint dry, but it is like watching the paint stay in the bucket instead of covering the canvas with it. Watching a stick stir the paint in the can is boring. put some paint on the brush and paint the canvas FFS, Stop looking at the sample colours in the brouchures.
No wonder Son has been off form. He’s been bored to death. All this backwards passing has managed to accomplish the impossible: It’s erased the smile on Son’s face.
WHL mob 3 – 0 Filbert Street mob. Whatever the result is, let’s hope it’s an entertaining game!
Lets win this game today/this evening, simple.
Cos if we lose the scream for “Conte out” will start, mind he could be on his way if Juve come a calling!
Yids 4 – Foxes 0. COYS
I think we’ll thrash ’em!
Tottenham Hotspur 6-0 Leicester City!
Spurs 9 x 1 Leicester City.
Jermain Defoe to get 5 goals.
On a more serious note: we need to start winning some matches by wider margins so as to run up the goal difference totals which may decide who get a CL place and who gets relegated to the Europa-sidelines League. Avoid Thursday matches in places we’ve never heard about. So let’s win this by a three or four goal margin. Indeed, let’s have a few such victories.
Lloris
Sanchez Dier Lenglet
Perisic Hojbjerg Bentancur Sessegnon
Kulusevski Richarlison
Kane
I predict that Son will score one (maybe two) goals when he comes on.
Great prediction!
1Hugo Lloris
15Eric Dier
34Clément Lenglet
6Davinson Sánchez
30Rodrigo Bentancur
5Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
19Ryan Sessegnon
14Ivan Perisic
10Harry Kane
9Richarlison
21Dejan Kulusevski
never thought i’d feel good about seeing Son not starting. but the man clearly needs to clear his head and revive his body.
I’m happy with today’s selections.
no more back and sideways passing as the first choice when we obtain the ball. look for someone more forward to pass to ball to. stop boring us to death.