10.1 C
London
Friday, March 29, 2024

Transformed Tottenham can prove new resolve in Chelsea test Antonio Conte has wanted for months

- Advertisement -

E

ven by Tottenham’s low standards against Chelsea, last season’s meetings between the clubs were particularly dispiriting.

Spurs lost all four matches without scoring, and even in the three games under Antonio Conte in January, they barely laid a glove on their rivals.

After the first of those defeats, a 2-0 reverse in the League Cup semi-final, first leg, at Stamford Bridge, a despondent Conte described the level of his squad as “in the middle” and hinted, not for the last time, that the scale of the rebuild at Spurs may be beyond him.

But his side improved in the second half of the season and, by March 20, after a win over West Ham, Conte was itching for another crack at his former club. “I would like to have another chance to see our level,” Conte said, after a fourth win in five League games. “I’m sure now our level has improved a lot and now I’m sure that Chelsea could fight much more to win the game against us than before.”

This Sunday, back at the Bridge, Conte will get that chance to measure his side against Chelsea again, in what feels like an early test of Spurs’ ambitions to be London’s top club and the most likely challengers to Manchester City and Liverpool this season.

A year ago, it was Chelsea who appeared most likely to break up that duopoly, but the Blues are now a club in transition, and this weekend’s game should also serve as a barometer of their own prospects.

Since January, Conte’s squad has been transformed, first with the signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, and then with six new additions this summer, most of whom are set to be available on Sunday after Richarlison returned from a one-match ban.

So impressive was Spurs’ opening-day win over Southampton, Conte may keep all his new players in reserve again but, regardless, his side has got better in almost every conceivable way since their last meeting with the Blues.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez started all three games in January, while Harry Winks, who is training alone and expected to leave this month, featured in each. Fellow outcast Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn, who has already been sold, also earned starts.

Not only does Conte have more — and better — options available now, the players who have remained in his plans are dramatically improved. At the turn of the year, Matt Doherty, Ryan Sessegnon and Emerson Royal looked short of the qualities required to be Conte wing-backs, but the penny has since dropped for all three. Sessegnon and Emerson could keep new signings Ivan Perisic and Djed Spence out of the side on Sunday, after impressing against Saints.

Ben Davies, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Heung-min Son and even Harry Kane, who was still getting up to speed at the start of 2022, are all more accomplished players after eight months and, crucially, a full pre-season under Conte.

All of which suggests Spurs are as well-placed as ever to record only a second win at Stamford Bridge in 38 visits, and a first in four years. There is also a sense that now is a good time to play Chelsea, who are still working on their summer recruitment and were declared unprepared for the campaign by manager Thomas Tuchel just three weeks ago, following a pre-season defeat to Arsenal.

Loading…

Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea

In contrast to Spurs, Chelsea appear less complete than last season, with Tuchel still rebuilding his defence following the losses of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, and missing a focal point in attack, even with the addition of Raheem Sterling.

Their new-look back three, featuring Kalidou Koulibaly, faces the challenge of stopping Kulusevski, Son and Kane, who have helped Spurs to outscore every other Premier League team so far in 2022. Whatever the result on Sunday, both managers can claim it is too early for sweeping conclusions, but the game promises to offer an intriguing indication of the clubs’ levels and prospects.

While Conte’s side can add to the burgeoning optimism around the club, a Chelsea defeat would likely confirm Tuchel’s anxieties about their chances of competing at the top this term. A home win, though, may call for a rethink of some early-season narratives.

Conte will know that his much-improved side have achieved nothing yet, but he should be confident of the chance to make amends for January on his latest return to his former club.

Source

Latest news
Related news