The return of 3-4-3
Having switched formation and opted for a three-man midfield last time out at Brighton & Hove Albion, Antonio Conte once again changed his Tottenham system for their Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt. This time he reverted back to the 3-4-3 that he has used ever since taking on the hotseat at the start of last November.
Although Spurs did look better for having an extra midfielder in the opening 30 minutes at Brighton before the hosts started to take control of proceedings, Yves Bissouma was the man to make way as Richarlison returned in attack alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Frankfurt: Son sublime, Kane and Hojbjerg creative and Gil impresses
Following an early scare with the visitors taking the lead, Spurs dominated after that and looked extremely impressive at times with the front three combining and performing well. It proved to be the perfect game to switch back to 3-4-3.
Ventrone tribute
Following such a moving tribute to fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone at the Amex last Saturday, Tottenham paid honour to the Italian again in their first match at home since his passing. Ahead of the game, the club tweeted out a picture of his seat in the dugout which was left vacant in his memory.
The seat was covered by his Tottenham training jacket, his stopwatch and a wreath of flowers. A second wreath was also laid in front of Ventrone's seat by Eintracht Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode ahead of the game in a classy move from the German club.
A huge flag in tribute to Ventrone then appeared in the south stand minutes before kick-off and was waved during the minute's applause, with a number of Italian flags also held aloft for the experienced coach. It really was a brilliant tribute to someone who was adored by all at the football club.
Confident Sonny and Hojbjerg delivering again
Struggling for form after the international break despite his fine hat-trick against Leicester City and his goals for South Korea, Son looked back to his confident best against Eintracht Frankfurt. Falling behind to Daichi Kamada's opener from close range, the Lilywhites restored parity five minutes later with the South Korean coolly slotting the ball home after Kane had played him in.
Perhaps not at his best this month, Son showed no signs at all of a player low on confidence as he netted superbly. His second of the contest was the 30-year-old at his very best.
In the right place in the area as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg drove into the box after the ball had fallen kindly for him, Son emphatically volleyed high into Kevin Trapp's net to give his team a two-goal cushion. While Son will deservedly get all the plaudits for his strike, Hojbjerg must also be praised for his play as he registered his third assist of the season.
Certainly needing more from his central midfielders, Conte is most definitely getting it from the ex-Southampton man as he now has two goals and three assists this campaign.
Conte handed Tottenham luxury
Having a big squad to choose from at Tottenham now following the club's summer business, Conte has so far mainly kept to near enough the same XI but sometimes with an alteration or two to the side. That was very much the case on Wednesday evening against Frankfurt.
However, Tottenham's 3-1 lead and Tuta's dismissal for two yellow cards handed the head coach a luxury he doesn't usually have in games. The final 25 minutes allowed the Italian to rotate his players and it resulted in some of the squad who have been practically ever-presents to have a breather ahead of some big games prior to the World Cup.
Rodrigo Bentancur was one of the players to come off for the final 25 minutes, thus allowing the likes of Bissouma and Oliver Skipp to get some much-needed minutes in the tank. Eric Dier also came off for a rare breather with just over 15 minutes to go as Davinson Sanchez was introduced and Cristian Romero moved into the heart of defence.
Electing against withdrawing Son and Kane early despite both being on the end of fouls in the second half, the former was replaced in the final five minutes and he was joined by Hojbjerg after another fantastic showing. Playing another full 90 minutes, Conte needs to find the ideal time to give a Kane rest with a jam-packed schedule ahead of the World Cup.
Gil impact
Fresh from coming on for the closing stages in the first group game against Frankfurt last Tuesday, Bryan Gil was given some more playing time by Conte as he entered the fray with five minutes to go. It was a very eventful cameo from the player as he looks to make his mark for Spurs under the head coach.
Combining well with Kane but then stumbling on the ball when looking to race through on goal, the ex-Sevilla ace then won a penalty after a mazy run into the box moments later. Tottenham's No.10 couldn't take the chance as he blazed over from 12 yards, though.
The pair once again linked up seconds after the penalty miss but Kane's cross to his teammate was too high for him to make contact when a simple ball on the ground would have sufficed. Opportunities may be few and far between for Gil but he can be very pleased with his impact, given he was only involved for a matter of minutes.
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