Antonio Conte has revealed that he analysed Tottenham’s attacking stats with Fabio Paratici and the data suggests the North Londoners are now much more effective in the final third than in previous seasons.
After the disappointment of the 1-0 loss to Burnley on Wednesday, Conte’s men showed against Leeds on Saturday how potent they can be upfront when the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are firing.
The Lilywhites have been finding the back of the net with regularity over recent weeks but they have struggled to keep clean sheets.
Conte admitted that it was about finding the right balance between defence and attack, and used Manchester City as an example of a side that is solid defensively despite creating many chances.
The Spurs head coach told Football.London: “Three days ago, before the game against Burnley, with Paratici we read the stats from the day I arrived in Tottenham [compared] to the past, a few years ago.
“Compared with the past and now, our stats are very good. Offensively we improved a lot and we’re very effective when we attack. We’re scoring more goals.
“Manchester City score a lot of goals but at the same time, they have the best defence, with only 17 goals [conceded], because before playing us, they’d conceded only 14 goals.
“It will be very important to work and find the right balance. To score goals and create offensive situations is good for our strikers, Harry, Sonny, Lucas [Moura], Kulusevski and Steven Bergwijn.”
Conte also admitted that he would like the midfielders and the wing-backs to chip with more goals rather than putting all the burden on the forwards.
He added: “My expectation is also to see midfielders score and the wing-backs. Finally, I have seen the first time that one wing-back crossed for the other wing-back to finish.
“I think that we can improve a lot for the rest of the season. We have to continue to work, to try to improve the positive things and also the negative situation we’re facing in these four months.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Our wing-backs have not been able to create as many chances as one usually expects from a Conte team. That is certainly an area that the Italian will look to improve over the coming months.
Hopefully, Doherty can build on his impressive performance on Saturday as, in theory, this formation is perfectly suited to the attributes that the Republic of Ireland international possesses.