Conte’s Chelsea Woes
Antonio Conte suffered his first Premier League defeat as Tottenham boss on Sunday evening as he saw his side lose 2-0 away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It becomes his third defeat against his former employers in just a month. Conte was unbeaten in nine league matches since he took the reigns at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, prior to Sunday’s defeat, and only Manchester City had picked up more points.
Perhaps we’ll all be left wondering what could have been if Harry Kane’s goal in the first half stood. The goal was chalked off, however, much to the bemusement of the Tottenham cohort, after Kane was judged to have fouled Thiago Silva in the build-up. Tottenham have not fared well against Chelsea this season, already losing three games, including two Carabao Cup semi-final defeats. However, this will be the most bitter of defeats for Conte as his woes up against his former side continue.
Chelsea were in control over Tottenham over the Carabao Cup matches and, considering their poor run of form, the defeat against the Blues in the Premier League on Sunday shows that there is still work to be done. Thomas Tuchel’s side had picked up just one win in their last five Premier League games and Sunday’s fixture was the time for Spurs to step and show how far they’d come under Conte.
Life Under Conte
A recent interview between Davinson Sanchez and Sky Sports explained how the defender is enjoying life at Tottenham under Conte, despite his high demands. Life is more strict but everyone is working together, performances are coming and confidence is growing. Sanchez is just one of the players that has improved since Conte has been in charge. Something the Italian has done consistently throughout his managerial career, helping improve a number of players such as Milan Skriniar and Alessandro Bastoni during his time at Inter.
Largely down to the philosophy that Spurs play under Conte such as by taking more risks, implementing a high press and a focus on winning the ball back, it has lead to the increase in interceptions and duels, particularly for Sanchez. The Colombian has become one of Tottenham’s key players, starting nine out of his ten league matches since Conte took over. He is leading the way for Tottenham at the heart of the three man defense.
The three man defense is also a big part of Conte’s tactics and he has implemented this at all the clubs he’s managed, including most recently at Chelsea and Inter. The extra defender at the back also allows the defense, and team in general, to feel more confident and secure. It is a tactic that has been used throughout the Premier League as teams try and build a more solid defensive structure, for example Mikel Arteta when he first came in at Arsenal.
Look at the passion from Sanchez at the end of the game. Moments like this are priceless. pic.twitter.com/GmSg6vQH6q
— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) January 19, 2022
The fight and determination is evident – it only takes a short look back at Tottenham’s chaotic 3-2 victory over Leicester. Steven Bergwijn produced a fantastic cameo performance off the bench, scoring two goals in injury time as Spurs pulled off the latest comeback in Premier League history. Similarly at Inter, Conte has managed to use comebacks to his advantages, especially when his sides look down and out. The comeback against Leicester could be a catalyst for Spurs to really push on now under Conte. Like at Chelsea too, suffering a 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal was the best thing that could have happened. It saw Conte switch to a three-at-the-back formation which was the basis for his title success that season. Of course, let’s still take this with a pinch of salt. There is still a lot to do and even with a big improvement over ten games, it is still a small sample size.
What’s Next for Conte and Tottenham?
Conte was asked after the Chelsea defeat on Sunday about the January transfer window and he did not hold back when saying he needs improvements to his squad. However, the Italian did concede how difficult it is for deals to be made due to the current nature of the market. We reported when Conte first took charge at Spurs that he could ambush the Serie A in the transfer market but no deals are yet to be made, something that has always come into fruition under Conte. Pressure will now pass over to Chairman Daniel Levy.
Questions are still being raised about what Conte can achieve at Tottenham. He continues to struggle up against Chelsea but he was able to pick up impressive results against Liverpool and West Ham, which ended 2-2 and 2-1 respectively. Nonetheless, his previous unbeaten run was up against a number of weaker opponents, such as relegation candidates Norwich, Brentford, Leeds and Watford.
An FA Cup clash against Brighton is up next for Spurs, as Conte will continue the charge in their hunt for silverware. Two very winnable home Premier League games follow, up against Southampton and Wolves. Six points will be the minimum expectation if top four is to be acquired.
His character is addictive and his influences change people, their mentalities and desires. Tottenham are now a team that wants to fight for every point and will never give up. The Conte effect is in full swing but how far can he take them?