Spurs travel to the City Ground to take on promoted Nottingham Forest this Sunday (kick-off 4.30pm BST), the team we will also face in the third round of the League Cup in November.
For now, the league takes precedent, and Sunday heralds the start of a hectic three-match week, meaning that Conte may very well have to rotate his squad for the first time this season. Indeed, the Italian alluded to this in his pre-match press conference today, stating that this period marks the biggest challenge the squad has faced since he’s taken over:
“Today I was talking…with Fabio Paratici about the difficulty [of multiple matches a week]. To play one game every seven days is one thing. To play many games every three days is totally different. This is the period where you understand which team, which squad are really good to be competitive.
For many situations, to play every three days, for injuries, because players start to be tired and you have to make rotations, it’s the right moment to understand if your squad’s depth is good and is the depth right and quality right. But this is for every club.”
However, having had over a week since our win against Wolves, it is likely that Sunday’s team won’t change too much from last time out. Romero and Skipp remain out, whilst Gil and Lucas are injury doubts going into the match.
Our opponents, fresh from signing 17 players this summer, intend on signing more players as they seek to survive their first season in the top flight since 1998/99. One of those new signings, Gibbs-White, is a doubt for the hosts, and aside from long term absentees Niakhate and Richards, Steve Cooper has no new injury concerns going into this match.
A tough game awaits, but if we keep level heads, shut out the boisterous City Ground noise, and take our chances when they come, nothing should stand between us and the points. COYS!
Now this is a must win match. lol.
If we cannot beat a team just elevated into the league, we aren’t as good as we think we should be. These are the matches that must be won if we’re to have the kind of season we think is possible this season.
COYS. Run up the goal difference.
Nine goals will do just find, thanks, with a clean sheet. Something on the order of a Defoe five goal effort by Son. If not by Son, then Richarlison.
Not for Kane, though. It would encourage him to think he ought to be playing in Manchester, which he shouldn’t start doing for another six years or so. When he’s a football pensioner.
Remember when it was a bif deal to have the first comment and Ox would threaten punishment if someone mentioned it in print?
Any way, five goals to either Sonny or Richarlison and 4 to the others who get to run about on the pitch. A no-save clean sheet for the captain of the French team.
Conte may not like them, but I love a three-match week.
SECOND! I don’t remember Ox saying anything about second, TK. Second is the new first.
I like a three match week, too. Three matches in a week should be manageable for the lads. But three ‘must win’ matches in a week might be a bit more tricky, (I return your lol).
Let’s start the first game with a 0-3 win and see how it goes.
Interesting game. No doubt Notts will give it ago, will he still stick to the same team, formation tactics that struggled in the last 2 games or freshing things up resting one or 2 players.
I think some players may be rotated, as we have 3 fixtures within 7 days, this could also be a dry run for when the CL starts.
Still, Notts Forest have a shed load of new names at the club, and do they yet have their best 11 nailed down.
Just want a quicker start from us, get an early opener and actually see what we do when we aren’t chasing the game.
On paper these next games, are very winnable, but in the Prem who knows 🙄
I do like the way Conte talks, totally aware of the realities of football. I get the impression a lot of fans either don’t understand, or don’t want to understand, that playing even twice a week totally changes things. The training regime, rest and recovery, how you rotate, it all has to be figured out. I do think West Ham’s long run in the Europa with a small squad cost them a good chance at fourth place last season as they ran out of legs towards the end. But for many fans you just run the team into the ground, simple. I suppose we’ll find out how strong our squad really is in the coming weeks.
I watched an interview with Kulusevski on Sky which might have upset a few fans. He was talking about how Conte was just about winning, an attitude Dejan totally agreed with. No pretty football, no style points, just win and keep winning. As I say it might upset some, I just thought “about time”.
Jod – thank god we have you to enlighten us on the realities of football. Who knew that squads need rotating when you have a heavy fixture schedule. Thank you so much for helping me understand.
For the record, I don’t believe our squad is anywhere near strong enough to cope with the schedule we have between now and the World Cup. With all the players going out on loan we are well short in midfield, in attack and at centre half. Not to mention the lack of a top quality right wing back. If the transfer window were to end now I don’t think Conte will be very happy.
We all want Spurs to win… That is more than obvious!
Some of us just don’t much want to be bored by any of it too often, win, lose or draw. That is all. It ain’t no crime!
And, no one talks about the football having to be pretty. Pretty is not a word that I would personally associate with football anyway… Flowers may be pretty, but football?! Even so, Football may often be called the beautiful game, but in my mind, that is not the same as “pretty”.
Football can be tough, rough, skilful, boring, exciting, joyful or dull. It can make us laugh, cry, shout, scream, mumble and sigh. We can sing the football songs and chant the soccer chants. We may analyse it, criticise it, love it, hate it.
Football players are idolised. Some players are despised. Players can excel, or players may disappoint. Players miss “sitters” or score “stunners”. Teams play “blinders”, teams play sh***!
This and more is why I think it can be seen as beautiful. Beautiful for all its good bits and for all its faults. This is why I love it. For the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly! And everything it is and everything it can be. And often, all within the one match! Triffic!
What a funny ol, sad ol’ game it is.
Oh and….
UP THE SPURS!
Nottingham Forest 0-4 Tottingham Hotspur!
Yes…. Another will-win game for the Spurs!
DoncasterHotspur – Really ? Because I lost count of the number of times managers have been criticised on this site when they tried to rotate. Every game, regardless of its importance and the state of the squad the mantra has been the same “we must play a strong team”. People were even coming out with it in that appalling, meaningless Europa Conference League last season. But I get the impression you are one of those who believe if you just repeat the same thing often enough people will believe it.
Geof, there was a point at which Ox said he would erase any “I’m first” comments. I think he thought we were getting too aggressive with out rushes to be first. Of course, these were the days when he was having to start new threads because so many were writing comments that the thread would fill up. (old technology and more VS folk back then.)
jod, who are these dunces who don’t realize that three matches in a week is a wee bit more taxing of the energies than is one match. If you can identify them by name we can ask them to ship off the the Vital Arse site where football knowledge tends to be lacking.
Remember this: when you’re ready to win the title, you’re ready to treat every match as a match where you should accumulate three points. A real supporter wants three points gained and wants them gained gloriously every match, whether there are three matches that week or only one. The only excuse for not winning all three points is when there is no match to be played.
Of course one might tolerate a draw when the lads fight back to gain the draw with a glorious last moment goal.
Or not?…
So TK to be a real supporter! you have/want to gain 3pts gloriously, so there is my mistake for the last 60+ years am not a real supporter.
Laughed my arse off at that comment LOL!
Tiny Tommy Tuchel is all upset that only he got a touchline ban and our Toni Ton Conte got a smile and a pat on the back from the league. Seems Tiny Tommy the Stringbean Hand-strangler thinks the provocateur should get no more punishment than the one provoked. Poor Tiny Tommy Tuchel. The world is so unfair.
Pick of someone your own height, Tommy.
On the morrow: 1 x 3.
Or perhaps a score that’s different from this. Who knows? Not even the Shadow knows until it’s in the bank. But I expect our lads to play like it’s a must win match, as they always should.
Yes Jod – name names because I don’t know anyone on this site who thinks that three games a week is easy. You seem very adept at incorrectly calling out people for something they haven’t said and then patronising them in your usual classy way as you have just done yet again in your last post. Very very sad.
Man City were horrible in the first half vs. CP, but they came out after the interval looking like they were ready to treat the match as something that they must win. three goals to nil for them so far in the second half to erase a two goal deficit. A draw wasn’t allowable in their minds, much less a loss to Palace.
If you want to win the league, every match is a must win. The alternative is to abandon the idea of glory. Play the right way, play for the glory of a well earned victory each time. Do not accept anything less than having more goals as a goal. And do it the right way.
Have we signed anyone recently. At the moment I don’t think our squad is good enough to pay a strong team in every game because it is very important that we play strong teams in every game. Unless of course we opt not to play a strong team in The Champions League or maybe we should chose not to play a strong team in certain premier league games. Who knows?
DC,
who plays must play strong. If it’s not good enough so be it. But full effort from anyone on the pitch in every match they are on the pitch.
p.s. we need another three players to reach the depth of the best teams, jod can tell us who they should be,
Expect Forest to play like men possessed tomorrow. With so many newbies they will be eager to impress. I worry that we are still too easily ruffled by pressure. I’m not to bothered about rotation as many of our squad are of a par.
Lol LT. In Nottingham Forest lived Robin Hood. In Nottingham lived The Sheriff, an ally of King John. I’ll take out chances against the Sheriff of Nottingham, even if he wants to sound like he’s a man of the forest.
But your point is taken. What was it? 17 signings? Makes DL look like he’s still a piker. That’s a lot of new blood to bed in, and a lot of players, as you say, who want to make a good early impression.
Here’s hoping our new lads like HK and Sonny will be similarly motivated. To me they’re all new signings since they’re under 75 years of age.