5 Tottenham players who could suffer under Antonio Conte
Tottenham Hotspur, in a statement of intent, went ahead and recruited serial winner Antonio Conte after relieving Nuno Espirto Santo from his duties. There were negotiations reported between the two parties in the summer as well before the season began, but terms couldn't be agreed. In what was now a desperate attempt, Tottenham had to return to Conte in order to save their team from falling way beyond redemption.
Antonio Conte will not accept any lacklustre performances from Tottenham players
Nuno lost five of his first 10 Premier League games and there were more questions asked than answers given by Tottenham's performances. Conte's fiesty nature and contagious passion will surely reignite the dull spirit in the Tottenham dressing room.
It is well known though that the Italian is a strict figure and takes no nonsense from anyone in the team and even from the hierarchy of the club. He has won domestic titles with Juventus, Chelsea and most recently with Inter Milan. It is highly likely that Conte will imitate his tactics from his Chelsea and Inter Milan days at Tottenham for immediate success.
Having said that, the new gaffer may not have his own favorites yet but he would not take mediocrity from anyone at any cost. There will be some players who will feel they have an opportunity to get back into the squad. Meanwhile, there are also some who would have figured that Conte's appointment could mean an end to their stint with Tottenham.
On that note, here are five players who could suffer under Antonio Conte at Spurs:
#5 Ben Davies
Very often it has been asked whether Ben Davies truly deserves to be at Tottenham and if his performances are good enough. His on-field display has certainly not helped his cause. Davies is nearing 240 appearances in a Tottenham shirt and over the last two years, his performances have been inconsistent.
The left-back has been utilized as a make-shift centre-back on many occasions but he is not one of those no-nonsense kind of defenders.
As a left-back he hasn't been effective in one-on-one situations. Conte will always trust Sergio Reguilon in that role who is also quite attack-minded and is capable of tracking back with urgency.
'The same terrible line up': Tottenham fans unhappy as Antonio Conte keeps Ben Davies and Eric Dier in the XI for his first Premier League game trib.al/bsAtU3d
There is a likelihood that Conte will invest in a stronger option in January to strengthen the left-centreback position in the back-three, which he prefers.
Interestingly, the 28-year old did start in Conte's first game in charge of Tottenham against Vitesse but came close to giving away a penalty in the first half. He also contributed with an assist in the win over Vitesse and retained his place in the side for the Premier League clash against Everton on Sunday.
In the long run, Davies could struggle to establish himself as a regular under Conte and is probably just a stop gap arrangement at the moment.
#4 Harry Winks
Oliver Skipp's rise at Tottenham has definitely proved detrimental to Harry Winks, who has not featured enough for his boyhood club in recent times. Conte placed a lot of trust in Nicolo Barella at Inter and though Skipp is not of the same profile, the new boss might help him develop his character.
The Italian likes his players to be shrewd and tactical fouls are something he appreciates. Winks' reckless nature often gets him booked and he commits fouls in dangerous areas of the pitch which wouldn't be to Conte's liking. He dropped down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho and that did not change under Nuno as well.
@CDEccleshare It's a shame because he comes across as a nice guy, but his race is run at the club. Shocking regression. Never checks his shoulders; takes an age to make decision & when he does it goes sideways or backwards. Not sure what he does?
Winks has often been described as a neat and tidy player, but Inter did not win Serie A because Arturo Vidal and Marcelo Brozovic were neat and tidy. The England international does not offer anything other than being a crisp passer of the ball.
He hasn't shown composure off the ball and his movement when the team is out of possession hasn't helped in protecting their fragile backline. A double pivot of Højbjerg-Ndombele or Højbjerg-Skipp is undoubtedly more useful to Conte's system. After 180 appearances for Tottenham, the time may have come for Winks to move on rather than become a permanent bench-warmer.