Antonio Conte has admitted that the strength of Tottenham’s squad will be tested over the next three weeks, with no one player able to play in every match, including Harry Kane.
Conte has made very few changes to the starting eleven for Spurs’ first three Premier League games and has had a full week to prepare for every match so far.
However, this is about to change, starting with Tottenham’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with the Lilywhites set to play five Premier League matches over the next 21 days ahead of September’s international break.
Spurs also kick off their Champions League campaign on September 7 with a clash against Marseille at home before travelling to Sporting Lisbon the following week. That means the Lilywhites have a match every three or four days over the next three weeks.
Tottenham’s record under Conte last season when the Italian only had a few days to prepare is not very encouraging, but the North London club have beefed up their squad significantly over the summer.
The Spurs head coach believes the next three weeks will serve as the litmus to test how far the club have progressed.
He told Football.London: “It’s important to underline that this season we have just started with me and last season I arrived in Tottenham in November and the competition was completely different because the Conference League is totally different, the Champions League now is another story.
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“The situation is different to the past. There is a World Cup in November and now in 23 or 24 days, we have seven games. It’s crazy to think we can put always the same players.
“In this transfer market our target was to improve the squad, also because we know very well we have to face four competitions so to have the possibility to make rotations without dropping the level is important. Now we start to play games every three days, now you understand if a team is strong or not.
“To play every seven days is easy for every club. You rest, slight injuries can recover, and then you play with the same players. But now, with the Champions League and Premier League, you understand the quality and the depth of the squad. And now you can make a judgement, not before.”
Conte added that no one player would be able to play in all of the seven matches that Tottenham have until next month’s international break.
When pressed on if he will definitely have to rest Harry Kane, he responded: “I repeat, we are talking about a situation that we have to start to face – on Sunday we have to play seven games every three days.
“After every game, I will have to check the situation with all of the players for tiredness and injuries. And one player will not be able to play in all seven games – it is impossible. I am not a magician! I cannot forecast this, but we go game by game to make the best decisions for the team and for the players.”
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The likes of Skipp, Lenglet, Doherty, Bissouma and Richarlison will be hungry to prove to Conte that he can count on them when they do get their opportunities over the next couple of weeks. I am excited to see which of them step up and stake a claim to be Conte’s first choice eleven.
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