Antonio Conte has said that he decided to replace Richarlison with Yves Bissouma as Lucas Moura is not yet fully up to speed physically.
Richarlison came off on 58 minutes with a calf injury, with the Brazilian being pictured in crutches after the game and even admitting that he fears that the injury might put him out of the World Cup (ESPN).
Conte decided to bring on Bissouma in place of the former Everton man, with Spurs shifting to a 3-5-2.
The tactical change seemed to work wonders for the home side, who dominated proceedings in the final 30 minutes and emerged as deserved 2-0 winners.
When asked about his decision to bring the Mali international on and change the system, Conte told Football.London: “I changed the system because for the characteristics of this squad we can play with the three strikers in a 3-4-3 or at the same time we can play with the 3-5-2 with the three midfielders.
“In that moment, I preferred to pick Bissouma because Lucas has only one week been working with us. In this moment his physical condition is not at the top and we needed to play 40 minutes and for this reason, I decided to pick Bissouma.
“Then the other option is Gil. He is younger and he’s a really good prospect and he’s improving but in that moment we needed a player more prepared. Also to be strong physically because Everton are really strong physically and in the end after a win I think my decision was good.”
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The win against Toffees means that Spurs maintained their perfect home record this season, and have won all of their past ten matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Evening Standard).
Conte praised Spurs fans for the atmosphere they created on Saturday and expressed the team’s desire to make their home ground a fortress.
When asked about the Lilywhites’ home record, the 53-year-old responded: “It’s important because it means we’re working well with the players and the club. We’re doing everything with common sense in my opinion. We know each other and our possibilities.
“We have to continue in this way and for sure I’m really happy for our fans because when you play and you have around you this atmosphere. The fans push you from the start until the end and they sing your names, it makes us proud and they give us a lot of push to give more and more for this club.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There has been plenty of evidence so far this season that Spurs look a lot more balanced with a 3-5-2 than a 3-4-3. Both Hojbjerg and Bentancur have demonstrated that they have a lot to offer if they are given the freedom to break forward.
The injury to Richarlison and the fact that Moura and Kulusevski have not started matches for a while, has essentially tied Conte’s hand, and given him no choice but to start with a 3-5-2 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
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