Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been speaking to the press ahead of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures and has commented on the different options he has within his squad for the centre-back role.
Spurs have been characteristically strong in attacking areas this season, with 33 goals making them the joint third-highest scoring team in the league (PremierLeague.com).
However, at the other end of the pitch, defensive frailties have crept in and many are concerned with the fact Spurs have now conceded first in their last nine games. Typically, Antonio Conte builds his teams on a solid foundation at the back, but that doesn’t seem to be working of late.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, there has been plenty of speculation as to which areas Conte will be looking to improve. According to Football.London, the club will wait until the summer to add new centre-backs to the squad, though.
Speaking to the press today (via Football.London), Conte commented on the various different options he has in that position right now.
He said: “You know very well last season we played with Dier, Cuti, and Ben Davies, on the bench was usually Japhet and Sanchez and Joe Rodon. We sent Rodon to play and have more time this season and we made a substitution with Clement Lenglet.
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“I think all these players have to play and we work every day with all of these players. One player can be in good form and another maybe he needed a bit of rest to recover well, because mentally he is a bit tired or physically. But I trust in my players. We work with them every day to improve the situation.”
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I would have liked to have seen us bring in a new centre-back in January personally, and then add a second in the summer. But, if Conte thinks he can work with what he has for now, then fair enough. We have to see improvements in the defensive area, though, as the back three have generally not been good enough this season.
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