Antonio Conte has called for patience with January signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur but the Tottenham manager will surely be tempted to throw caution to the wind and start the pair in Sunday’s visit of Wolves.
Conte is aware of the need for the deadline-day signings from Juventus to adjust to the “intensity” of the Premier League and Kulusevski has described English football as “like a different sport”. “It’s almost like there are no fouls here,” he said today.
Nonetheless, Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton exposed the cracks in Conte’s side and offered a simple blueprint to future opponents: press Spurs and they will make a succession of mistakes. Bruno Lage, the Wolves boss, will have taken note.
Bentancur, the Uruguay midfielder, immediately made a difference when he came on for the final 30 minutes on Wednesday, adding quality and calm to the midfield, and Conte must be considering giving him a first start on Sunday.
Kulusevski also came off the bench against Saints, his arrival coinciding with Spurs’ late collapse, and the Swede could also be considered against Wolves, with Conte believing the the left-footed forward is a possible option at right wing-back.
Along with Davinson Sanchez and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, wing-back Emerson Royal was particularly susceptible to Saints’ aggressive approach, making a string of errors, while Conte has tended to overlook former Wolves man Matt Doherty,
The Spurs manager is desperate to welcome back centre-half Eric Dier, who has missed the last two matches with a niggling thigh problem, but Oliver Skipp remains sidelined this weekend with a groin strain.
