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Emma de Duve

Bissouma skill, Hojbjerg masterclass - 4 things spotted in Tottenham training ahead of Rangers

Tottenham have been preparing for their trip to Scotland, where they take on Rangers in their third pre-season friendly. After that, Antonio Conte's side will just have Roma to play, before the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign.

Spurs' travels to South Korea saw them win one and draw one of their friendlies, with Conte getting to see many of his players in action. However, with various absences, there are still a handful of his squad he is yet to see in action this pre-season.

Last week, the Italian spoke about his hopes for his side's final two pre-season matches. "We continue to work on the tactical and physical aspect because want to prepare very well for this season," he said.

READ MORE: Every word Antonio Conte said about Lucas Moura as a wing-back, Ben Davies injury and Perisic

"At the same time today it was pleasing to see my team bring high pressure and to run. For sure we have to try to improve in the possession because I think we lost balls that were dangerous but I think it’s normal because we start to feel the fatigue.

"At the same time it is very important to in the moment you feel the fatigue to play a game like this. Today a game like this helps you to improve the team and also the mentality because Sevilla were very strong and they played a real game and we did the same."

Videos have now emerged of Spurs' training session ahead of Saturday's game and football.london takes a look at a few things we spotted.

Those missing out

Ben Davies had to come off in the final quarter of the 1-1 draw against Sevilla, due to an ankle injury. After the match Conte explained what he believed the injury meant for his defender.

"I don’t think that’s a big problem. In this moment, he has pain in his ankle but, honestly, I hope when we start our training sessions again he can start the sessions with us," he said. "I don’t think it’s serious, and I think he’s okay. Ben is strong, a really good player, strong physically and mentally, and he wants to play every game. For this reason, I’m confident he be in training very soon."

However, ahead of the trip to Scotland, the 52-year-old revealed his defender wouldn't be available against Rangers or Roma. "I hope for the start of the season, for the first game, for him to recover," Conte admitted.

Therefore it was no surprise that Davies wasn't involved in the training video Tottenham put out. Ivan Perisic was also missing from the outdoor part of the session, but was spotted inside, as he continues to recover from injury.

Sergio Reguilon, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks were all left behind when the Lilywhites travelled to South Korea. Although this was not explicitly said, it seemed to suggest that the quartet are not in Conte's plans for next season, with them all struggling for game time under the Italian. All four have been linked with moves to other clubs, with Winks being linked with other Premier League clubs, whilst the other three have been rumoured with potential moves abroad.

Returning players

On a more positive note, Conte got to see returning and new players in action, once his side had returned from their Korea trip. Yves Bissouma and Fraser Forster missed out on the friendlies, due to testing positive for Covid and had to travel back separately to the rest of the squad due to isolation.

However, the Italian revealed both have returned to training and "everything is going okay", which could mean the duo make their debuts on Saturday. After missing out on the pre-season tour due to illness, Joe Rodon was also spotted back in training.

Djed Spence and Clement Lenglet were also both spotted in the recent training video. The latter made the move to N17 ahead of the pre-season trip but didn't have time to get the correct documentation to travel.

Spence's move to Spurs completed his move on Tuesday, so will be working hard to settle in to life at his new club. In the clip, the 21-year-old could be seen in the indoor session next to Ryan Sessegnon, who he has previously played with at Fulham and is likely working to help Spence adapt.

Bissouma skill

Bissouma will be eager to make his debut at Spurs, after becoming their third signing of the summer. It has been a patient wait for the Mali international, due to his contraction of Covid, but it shouldn't be long until fans and Conte get to see him in action.

During the recent training session, the 25-year-old seemed to be getting stuck straight in, making the most of all the drills throughout the session. Bissouma was one of the many players who was slotting the ball into the back of net, during the training clip.

At one moment in the video, the former Brighton man was spotted with returning loanee, Pape Matar Sarr. The duo were passing the ball between themselves and then Bissouma began flicking the ball onto either shoulder.

Various other clips of the midfielder showing off his skills have circulated and there will be a hope that he can bring that same level of skill on the pitch.

Hojbjerg's impact

Throughout the session, a shooting drill saw lots of the squad stepping up to slot the ball into the back of the net. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was making an impact all over the pitch.

At one moment, the Dane received the ball, got it under control and fired it over Brandon Austin's head, as it dipped into the top corner of the goal. Just before that, Dejan Kulusevski got the ball under control as he ran onto it, just outside the six yard box on the right. The Swede then fired the ball across goal and into the top left corner, one of many impressive goals during the session.

Hojbjerg also showed his impact with his creativity. The 26-year-old launched the ball from near the halfway line, into the box where Bryan Gil was waiting. The Spaniard controlled it and volleyed it into the back of the net. This highlights the impact the midfielder can have in various aspects of the game, which is why he is a key player for Conte.

The Italian will be hoping and expecting his side to continue working hard during training, have a successful end to pre-season and then go into the 2022/23 campaign in the strongest form possible.

READ NEXT:

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