Tottenham gave Antonio Conte arguably the perfect introduction to their current quagmire with a 3-2 win over Vitesse Arnhem on the Italian manager’s opening night in charge.
They opened the evening in raucous form and Son Heung-min had a shot cleared off the line inside two minutes before opening the scoring inside 10, and Lucas Moura, whose shot had created Son’s goal, added one of his own before an own goal meant that Spurs were 3-0 up inside half an hour.
That lead was cut to just one by the break though, Eric Dier losing his man at a corner and Moura losing the ball in his own half to gift Vitesse chances that they were not in the mood to squander.
Suddenly after half-time, the nervy, disjointed Tottenham reappeared and they only had captain Hugo Lloris, perhaps the only player who can truly claim to have been in good form this season, to thank for the fact that their three-goal lead was not reduced to dust, especially after Cristian Romero was sent off for two clumsy challenges.
In the end, Arnhem’s own self-destruction took the form of two sendings off of their own and Spurs were able to hang on for an important three points in Uefa’s third-most important club competition. They also sent Conte a clear message: there is work to do.
Spurs player ratings
Hugo Lloris – 8.5
Strong hand to keep Tottenham ahead seven minutes into the second half and was forced to make a number of other saves as Spurs’ performance dipped after half-time. Could do little about the goals, but would expect to be less busy against that calibre of opposition.
Ben Davies – 7
A foray forwards forced the third goal, and the underlapping centre-back became a not unfamiliar sight. Could become a regular feature.
Eric Dier – 6
Beaten a bit too easily for the header that gave Vitesse their first goal, and flat-footed when they snuck inside to score their second. Remains something of a mystery whether he is a defender or a midfielder.
Cristian Romero – 5
Produced a nice line-break pass to create Son’s chance in second minute – and Romero should know the back three as well as anyone – but it was a clumsy and naive challenge that earned him a second yellow card. Worth noting that he played in the centre of a three at Atalanta more than on the side of one, and it very much is a different skill.
Sergio Reguilon – 6
Loose pass gifted Vitesse their first chance of the game, but was more prominent at the other end of the pitch. Third furthest forward Tottenham player before the red card, but unclear whether that will suit him as much as it did his fellow wing-back.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7
Early bursting run in first minute set tone and got the crowd and team-mates going, and it was his determination and urgency that created the opening goal, even if he won’t be credited with anything so glamorous as an assist. Tottenham will need leaders if they are to turn their fortunes around and he is one who can play that role.
Oliver Skipp – 5.5
Somewhat uninspiring on the ball, and off it should have done more to cover off the Vitesse break for the second goal. Probably cannot play alongside Hojbjerg unless willing to be more creative and incisive with his passing.
Emerson Royal – 7.5
Relished freedom of Conte’s 3-4-3 and was a significant part of Tottenham’s fast start. Could have found a better final ball to put the game to bed late on but could be one of the big winners of the new manager’s arrival.
Heung-min Son – 8
Had a shot cleared off line in second minute but would not be denied 13 minutes later, neatly finishing after the ball was cleared from Moura’s shot. Has now scored the first goal for each of Tottenham’s last three managers. Should suit the freedom of the inside-forward role in Conte-ball.
Harry Kane – 7
Benefitted hugely from having Moura and Son closer to him and drifting in between the lines, but was then more isolated, inevitably, when Spurs went down to 10 men.
Lucas Moura – 6
Blew a simple through ball for Kane in the early stages but was more composed when the England captain returned the favour 15 minutes later. However, then gave the ball away in his own half and Vitesse scored seconds later.
Substitutes: Tanguy Ndombele (73 min) – 7.5, Davinson Sanchez (73) – 7, Harry Winks (73) – 7.5, Giovani Lo Celso (87) – 5.
Analysis from the stadium
By Jonathan Valentine
The fact that Conte was even in charge of a game at this level shows what a coup it was for chairman Daniel Levy to lure him to north London at the second attempt.
When he walked away from Inter in the summer, having guided them to a first Serie A title in a decade, he could not have thought it possible his next match in charge would be in the new third-tier European competition.
Conte joined a team who are mid-table in the Premier League and not anywhere near the Champions League and Conte now has a job to get them back there.
It may take longer than he thought it would to get back there and there is little time to prepare for the next challenge as they visit Everton in just two days’ time.
Conte: The players needed to suffer
New manager Conte said he was glad that his players managed to get a win while “suffering” because it would act as a confidence boost for a squad sorely lacking in any.
“It was a crazy, crazy game and usually I don’t like these types of game,” Conte told BT Sport afterwards.
“When it’s a crazy game it means that can anything can happen. But at the same time I think that we should win, and we won.
“For sure we were winning 3-0 and then we conceded two goals that we can avoid and then after a red card we’re in trouble.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 4, 2021
First goal of the Antonio Conte era
Just 14 minutes in, Son delivers the goods ???? #UECL pic.twitter.com/0XP4sqHLUX
“But I think to win suffering is good for this team, for these players, and they needed to improve their confidence.”
Spurs will play Everton on Sunday where Conte will make his return to the Premier League, which he won with Chelsea, but he bemoaned the precious little time he will have with the players in which they will have to learn quickly his 3-4-3 system.
“We need to have a bit of patience because we need to work on many, many aspects – tactical, physical and also the players have to understand well what I want,” Conte added.
“But I’m not afraid about the work because in my life I know that only through the work, you can reach important target.”
A tactical tweak?
One thing that almost everybody knew coming into the game was that Tottenham would be playing 3-4-3. It is a system Conte has made his own and if you can’t work it out, then you might as well take up the violin for all the football you’re going to play under him.
Clearly after no official training sessions under him (Ryan Mason ran them this week with visa-less Conte only allowed to watch before the paperwork came through), Spurs were unlikely to have mastered it, but the holes in the defence were gaping so much that even the Eredivisie’s fifth-best side looked potent.
In the BT Sport studio sat a man who also made three defenders his calling card as a manager, Glenn Hoddle, so much so that QPR once brought him in as a tactical consultant just to teach them how to play that specific formation.
And Hoddle was unconvinced that Tottenham have the personnel required to make the two-man central midfield unit to make Conte’s specific version work. (At Chelsea of course, the Italian was blessed with N’Golo Kante, who is worth at least two players on his own.)
“I think he might have to fill that midfield in if he wants to play the three at the back,” Hoddle said with genuine concern.
“I think he’s got to play three midfield players in there and possibly one of those up front has to come out and then play as a two. Ironically [that’s] what Man United to Tottenham here at the weekend.
“So play two up top and one dropping in maybe, and you can alternate that ,and he’s got some options there. But I think that looking at that midfield, to play that system against the really good side, a Premier League side… they will get punished if they defend like that. They’d have been out of that game.”
None of the three former Spurs players – Hoddle, Peter Crouch and Jermaine Jenas presenting, presumably with half an eye on the Match of the Day vacancy – could disagree that they had the skipper to thank for the three points.
“There’s definitely work to be done because it was a little bit sloppy,” said Crouch.
“I thought the passing through midfield… they gave the ball away at times, and they had a lot of chances and, thankfully, Lloris was in good form.”
Hoddle added: “First 15 minutes, they were at it, then suddenly they just went back to the slower pace, less energy, no pressing, which we’ve seen in other games in the season, and suddenly, they just fell into this…
“Then I’m thinking ‘well Conte will get at them at half-time’, they come out second half and Vitesse were the better team. They were very sloppy.
“They’ve given the ball away so many times tonight. It was a pattern of play, that at 3-0 up, Tottenham shouldn’t have allowed to creep into their game.”
The verdict? Conte has a big job on his hands.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3EJztPl
Post a Comment