Opinion: Five things we learned from Spurs’ 3-1 win against Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a convincing 3-1 at home to Brighton last night, here are five things we learned from the performance.

Harry Kane is back to his best

Harry Kane produced a man-of-the-match performance against Brighton finding the net twice and being part of everything good Spurs did. Having had questions asked of his commitment to the club after a transfer saga of sorts in the summer, Kane has looked back to his best after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked and Antonio Conte was brought in. Kane now has seven goal involvements in his last nine appearances (transfermarkt) and seems to look fitter and more confident under the Italian. At his best Kane is up there with the world’s best and Spurs need him to keep fit and keep firing if they want to push for Europe and potentially a trophy in the remainder of the season.

We still need to improve at right-wing back

Emerson Royal played 87 minutes against Brighton and despite a spirited performance as a willing runner to press high and create overloads in wide areas, the threat is very low from the Brazilian. Despite one of his crosses deflecting in off Solly March, which albeit was a great moment for him personally, outlined how wayward his final ball often is. At that moment, the only man in the box was Lucas who had pulled off for a cutback, meaning the cross would have been cleared easily much like many of Emerson’s crosses in previous performances.

We know right wing-back was a priority for Spurs in the January transfer window (talkSPORT), which Fabio Paratici and co failed to deliver on and it is clear this is something that needs to be addressed in the summer.

Romero and Son are 100% fit

Christian Romero and Heung-Min Son both returned from injury in this game following long periods out. The level of both men’s fitness was a mystery, however as both were selected in the starting lineup, it was clear Conte, at least, felt they were ready for a lot of minutes.

Although neither completed the game, both players looked up to speed and ready to contribute in the second half of the season. With a thinner squad than before January and Dier and Skipp picking up new problems having two key players ready available will be crucial for Tottenham going forward.

Give Antonio Conte time on the training ground and he can work magic

The ‘winter break’ is one of the rare occasions Antonio Conte has had an extended period to work with his players at Hotspur Way and each time he has the next match has often yielded excellent results. Conte is known as being one of the best coaches in the world managing to improve players of every level and position. This has been clear at Tottenham with the likes of Ben Davies and Harry Winks producing performances many Spurs fans would not have thought possible before the Italian’s arrival.

Once again in this match, Conte had clearly worked on Spurs’ pressing and some individuals with Emerson Royal, Davinson Sanchez and Winks himself, clearly putting in improved performances. Emerson and Sanchez combined excellently at times down the right flank, with the latter being much more willing to break forward with or without the ball. Whilst Winks seemed to be more on the front foot, looking to take the shot on rather than just retain possession.

The work that Conte does when given a week’s worth of training is impressive, but fans must remember he will have an entire pre-season to work with the squad in the summer, meaning the output he can squeeze out of this limited squad could be even more exciting.

We can consistently beat mid-table sides

Something that has been very pleasing from Conte’s reign so far is how assured we look against mid-table and bottom half Premier League teams. Even though today was in the cup, we seem to be in control when we are the favourites for the match, something that has been lacking since the Pochettino days.

Consistently picking up three points in matches against the likes of Brighton is what will secure us European football as much as the big games will and that is something we have certainly learned to do under Conte. With the likes of Southampton, Burnley Leeds and Everton coming up over the next month or so, hopefully, we can continue this record of comfortable wins.

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