As CK said the pros were fitness already looking better and there actually being a genuine shape but Conte certainly has his work cut out for him. I think his biggest short term target is getting Ndombele into the side, I don’t particularly like the fat prick but he’s the only one who can pass the ball forward with genuine intent. The front three aren’t getting the ball in meaningful areas enough, whenever they had it though today they were dire, Son especially. Thought Skipp was a small ray of light, won the ball, passed it quickly and didn’t do much wrong. Albeit that yellow forces him out of the Leeds game and just like the Arsenal match at the emirates I fear we’re going to massively miss him.
Yes. Lloris got a touch of the ball and you could clearly see it change direction. Ref shouldn't have stopped play though, as Lloris was off his line and you had the ball out wide.
I must admit I don’t think any of that was intentional. Looks bad in slow motion but I think Godfrey is going for the ball both times, albeit missing it both times.
Pretty much what I expected at this stage. The whole squad is out of form and players haven't been asked to play quick, technical football for a long time and it shows. Lots of bad passes, heavy touches and static positioning. But we got energy and, often misguided, aggression - which will be important too when focused in the right way under Conte. I don't think the balance of the team is there yet but it will come in time. Shame Lo Celso's shot didn't go in but at least Jon Moss corrected Kavanagh's decisions(see sig).
We knew there wouldn't be any quick fixes but I could definitely see an improvement in the way the team played. Conte is not our Messiah so we couldn't have expected immediate results but it's good to see a slight shift in the players' mentality at the very least. Still, a long way to go!
I think this is absolutely right. First (PL) clean sheet since Aug 29th and an away point. The squad's all wrong and even Conte can't conjure a midfield out of nowhere. On to the next one...
Tempting to say Same Old Spurs. So I'll be yield to the temptation. Spurs have recapitulated their recent history nicely in two matches. Start out boldly, then, when it's apparent both the passing and the defending are dodgy, let caution paralyze. Lo Celso certainly summed himself up: a series of egregious errors surrounding one moment of almost but not quite. However... I'm not sure I've ever seen Spurs' final ball so consistently lack quality. If they had been their usual erratic selves, they would have scored a couple and won. So there may be some signs Spurs are a bit better under Conte. Bringing on lo Celso and Doherty are not the actions of a well-balanced mind, however. That and choosing to manage Spurs could get him a little vacation in a room with soft walls.
I’m not sure who else he’d have to bring on though. Reggie was on a yellow. Sess isn’t fit. Davies could have moved over and a CB could have come on but there’s no natural left sided CBs and I doubt he wanted to disrupt the back 3. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I think there’s a lot of work to do. We get the ball into the final 3rd a lot but the cutting edge when we get there is sorely lacking. Our good players are out of form and the rest lack quality. I’ll accept the clean sheet because it’s been AGES since we last had one. Conte has a lot to do though.
It'll be interesting to see if anyone can make an impact on the manager during the break. You'd have thought that there was at least an opportunity to get some sub appearances. That trip to Slovenia could be important for some fringe players.
I was pleasantly surprised by Hojbjerg and Skipp today. They were all over the place on Thurs but already looked more disciplined and positionally aware today. I can't recall us dominating and winning back possession so high up the pitch in a long time, especially away from home against a decent side. The issue as you and others have mentioned is who plays the final pass or the penultimate pass. Currently Kane and Son are playing like they've just met each other while Lucas is good for running at people but not much more, while Reg and Roy will stretch teams and work their socks off down the flanks but neither is particularly good at crossing the ball. I lost count of the number of times we got into a good position and I found myself wishing Eriksen was on the pitch. It is telling that Dele and Bergwijn didn't get a minute again. We aren't short of options up there. We're short of quality.
Indeed, we have to take the positive today. I'm pretty sure a lot is happening behind the scene in identifying new players to add to the squad, as well as trimming the dross from the squad. Any improvements will be incremental
