Tottenham Hotspur could only manage a point from Antonio Conte’s first match in charge this afternoon, playing out a 0-0 draw with Everton on Merseyside.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:
It is going to take time – I feel as though a good chunk of fans were expecting Conte to come in and everything would instantly be magical. It takes time to get used to a new coach, new tactics, and a new formation to boot. Certain things will get worse before they get better, but if everyone buys into Conte’s plan, we will come out the other side in a much better place.
Skipp and Davies fantastic – A special mention has to go to both Oliver Skipp and Ben Davies. They encapsulated everything good for Spurs today. Threw themselves into challenges, gave 100 per cent, passing was neat and tidy, defending was very good. Could this be a hint that the new formation is going to suit them? Only time will tell.
More end product needed from the wing-backs – Emerson Royal was fabulous today, both at winning the ball back and getting forward. However, I still want to see more from him in terms of end product with his crossing and shooting. In this formation, the wing-backs needed to be getting returns (goals/assist) on the level with wingers. Tottenham’s two best chances today, beyond Lo Celso hitting the post, came from a Reguilon shot and an Emerson header.
Romero needs to calm down – Cristiano Romero saw red against Vitesse Arnhem on Thursday and came pretty close again today. There was a debate over a penalty involving Richarlison and Hojbjerg, with Romero coming over and somehow inserting himself into the drama, pushing his forehead into the Brazilian’s. We have seen reds for this and he just needs to calm down.
Creativity still a key issue – Tottenham looked pretty solid defensively today but creativity proved to be the issue again. With two wingers in the number ten roles and two defensive midfielders, Spurs still lack that regular chance maker. I think we need to give time for Moura and Son to get used to their new positions, as well as the other players, before making reactionary claims though.
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