Can Conte continue Tottenham's sharp progress and bring the North London club into a top 4 spot once again?
What happened last year?
Despite beating Manchester City on the first day of the season and being top of the tree after a perfect three wins from three for August, Tottenham’s season took a turn for the worst.
New manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, fell from the graces of August manager of the month to being unemployed after suffering a 3-0 loss to Manchester United and being out of a job just 124 days since being hired from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, in hindsight this loss, and subsequent managerial change, was to Tottenham’s benefit. It meant that Spurs could hire their summer target Antonio Conte, a boss who had won the Premier League and Serie A in the previous three seasons. Significantly this meant that by the time Manchester United had sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only a few weeks later, their top target was now taken by Spurs.
Despite taking time to adjust to life in North London and inheriting a team in 9th placed already five points adrift of 4th, Conte’s effect soon became clear. After raiding ex-club Juventus for pair Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, Spurs began affirming their top four aspirations. The latter registered five goals and eight assists as he completed the missing cog in Tottenham’s front three which had for so long seemed a front two.
After beating Arsenal 3-0 in an unforgettable North London Derby, Spurs confirmed their top four spot to secure Champions League football.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
Key signings?
Yves Bissouma
Although Yves Bissouma may not be the most creative midfielder lacking in his stats for goals and assists, he provides vital cover for Conte’s back three system in which the full backs push high up the pitch.
Last season Bissouma made 3.2 tackles per 90 minutes with a success rate of 82%. This was streets ahead of Bentancur (2.4, 70%), Skipp (2.2, 66%) and Hojbjerg (2.2, 62%). When thinking of other teams implementing similar systems a strong tackling defensive midfield seems vital.
When Conte won the league with Chelsea, he possessed N’golo Kante, when with Inter Milan, he had Brozovic and when with Juventus he had the similarly fierce Arturo Vidal. Bissouma gives Conte that defensive cover in midfield and offers a layer of protection to the back three which can get overrun on a counter attack.
Richarlison
As mentioned earlier, the signing of Dejan Kulusevski in January provided a third cog to Tottenham’s front two of Kane (7/1 for the Golden Boot) and Son. It gave them another option and another area where goals and assists could come from.
Richarlison is not only a proven experienced scorer in the Premier League but is also someone that can play anywhere along that front three and in a new season where there are five substitutions and with the additional fixtures of Champions League football, the extra cover offers invaluable depth to Conte’s squad. Also, the bonus of beating rivals Arsenal to the signing lays down the gauntlet of what Spurs have to offer through serial winner coach Conte.
Ivan Perisic
Finally, the addition of Ivan Perisic on a free transfer from Inter Milan is an astute piece of business without being a flashy one. Perisic, who is a World Cup finalist, Champions League winner, Serie A and Bundesliga winner offers a certain degree of experience and mentality that Spurs have been lacking.
Signing players from clubs like Brighton (Bissouma), Everton (Richarlison) and Middlesborough (Spence) is one thing but signing players that Conte has not only worked with before but won with before offers belief to the dressing room.
Perisic, who has spent much of his career as a winger, was deployed as a wing back at Inter Milan in his Scudetto winning season. Conte has seemed unhappy with the club’s fullbacks last season in Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal, with both players unable to offer the blend of attacking and defensive qualities that Conte searches for. However, Perisic (an ex-winger) offers a threat going forward that the others do not and, on a free transfer, seems a fine addition.
And who’s out?
Steven Bergwijn
Bergwijn looked set for a January exit last term but after scoring two stoppage time goals to dramatically clinch a 2-1 win over Leicester, Conte seemed persuaded that perhaps Bergwijn could work his way into the fold. However, the immediate impact of Swede Kulusevski and the summer signing of Richarlison means Bergwijn’s time in North London is well and truly over.
It seems a good riddance too with Kulusevski registering more goals and assists (13) since January in his 18 games than Bergwijn managed in 60 for Spurs. He provided good cover and on his day was a good player but his lack of playing time and consistency means that Tottenham have managed to make a belated upgrade to their attacking ranks.
Who is their star man?
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son
Rather than one star man, Tottenham’s crown jewels must be separated into the dichotomy of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. After the 2020-21 season saw them combine for goals the most out of any partnership in a single season in Premier league history (14), they have now topped the charts too. Last year they moved ahead of legendary Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba’s 36 goal combinations by the end of February with Son also landing the Golden Boot himself.
This season, the duo have perhaps more support than ever and having adjusted to life under Conte it seems they can start as they mean to go on. Away from their obvious link up play they are matchwinners, able to turn the game around alone even when the team may not be playing it’s best.
The most memorable example of this would be Kane’s double to beat Man City which included a dramatic late winner in one of the games of the season. It would be surprising if one of them at least was not in the reckoning for the Golden Boot.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
Tottenham managed to rescue a season which endured the usual adjustments that fans have grown used to under Levy. However, with Conte’s system seemingly implemented and Conte able to mould his idea of a team through backing in the January and Summer transfer windows, we can only expect improvement from them this year.
Despite only confirming 4th on the final day of the season, I expect Spurs to achieve it much more comfortably this year, but they don’t quite seem ready to challenge titans Liverpool and Manchester City to Premier League glory; 3rd spot should be comfortably secured.
Where do the odds project them to finish?
Tottenham are 3rd favourites at 12-1 to win the league and are a best priced 4/6 to finish in the top four.
Any recommended bets?
Tottenham are only a shade of odds to achieve a top four finish despite improving on last year’s squad and should be backed at maximum stakes to achieve this. Conte has a phenomenal domestic league record, and this is where Tottenham may just shine. However, if one didn’t one to take odds on then they are best priced 11/10 to be the top London Club.
With Chelsea lacking a central spine of centre back’s and a central striker to their team and Arsenal still under a firm transition period after being firmly put in their place in May’s North London Derby, Tottenham should really be odds on and therefore should be backed maximum stakes to achieve this.
