Conte names three Spurs players who impressed him during mid-season break

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been speaking to the club website about the mid-season break and has singled out three players for praise: Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma, and Matt Doherty.

The last competitive game for Spurs was on November 12, a tense 4-3 win over Leeds United. The Premier League campaign then paused for the World Cup and it’s been a tale of two halves for the Spurs squad since.

While 11 first-team players left for Qatar to represent their countries, the rest of the Tottenham squad stayed behind at Hotspur Way to partake in extra training sessions.

There have also been three mid-season friendlies, against Motherwell, Peterborough U21s, and then against French side Nice last night, to keep players sharp and ready for the resumption of the domestic season on Boxing Day.

It’s a period that has given Conte food for thought and allowed him a closer look at some of his players, and the Italian has highlighted three stars who have impressed him the most during the break.

He said: “I think that we exploit very well this period, especially for players like Skippy, Bissouma, and for Matt Doherty.”

For Skipp, this reiterates what we already know – that he is a very impressive player when it comes to training (Football.London) and that Antonio Conte is a fan of his.

Bissouma has previously been criticised by Conte for struggling to adapt to his system (The Athletic), so the fact he is working his way into the good books with the boss will be a real boost.

As for Doherty, it’s been a phenomenal mid-season break, with the Irishman bagging four goals in three non-competitive matches from the wing-back area.

Spurs Web Opinion

By all accounts, it’s been a pretty positive break for the squad and we’ve seen plenty of players add value to their stock. Matt Doherty has been ludicrously good, Dejan Kulusevski looks eager to get going again, and it’s also been encouraging to see Harvey White get a run in the team, too. All of this bodes well for the second half of the season.

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