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Rob Guest

Son problem, Skipp injury return - Antonio Conte's Tottenham to-do list ahead of Everton

Antonio Conte has time on his side as he prepares for Tottenham's Premier League clash against Everton on Monday evening.

Usually only having a few days to plan for games due to the team's busy schedule, Sky's decision to broadcast the game on Monday Night Football means there are six days between the FA Cup defeat at Middlesbrough and the Toffees travelling to the capital.

Spurs' form may have been incredibly up and down in 2022 but the team have demonstrated so far in Conte's tenure that they do perform well after spending quality time with the head coach and his staff at Hotspur Way.

So what exactly will be on the Italian's to-do list over the coming days? football.london takes a look.

Get injured players back

Conte wasn't exactly blessed with options off the bench at Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening with a host of injuries making life difficult for him.

Youngsters Harvey White, Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett were all named as substitutes again after making the matchday squad at Leeds, with the young striker introduced for the final five minutes at the Riverside Stadium as Spurs searched for a late goal.

Only really having the experience of Steven Bergwijn to call upon in an attacking sense with Lucas Moura absent through injury, Conte also had to make do without Japhet Tanganga, Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Oliver Skipp has been a big miss in Tottenham's midfield (James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

The head coach needs the quartet back as soon as possible to give him more options in terms of his starting XI as it's the same players starting at present and that will only lead to a lot of tired legs.

He will certainly be pushing for Skipp and Co to return rather swiftly as Spurs now face a crucial few weeks in their season.

Make wing-back and midfield decision

Tottenham didn't get much joy at all from their midfield two at Middlesbrough with both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks struggling to have an impact on proceedings.

It has now left Conte with an important decision to make ahead of the Everton game, although that is all going to depend on the fitness of Skipp and Bentancur.

The injured duo are likely to be Tottenham's first-choice midfield pairing going forward but it remains to be seen if they will be fit enough to start together on Monday evening.

If it turns out to be one of the pair returning rather than both, Conte has a call to make whether it is Hojbjerg or Winks who starts alongside them.

Another decision he has to make is regarding his two wing-backs.

Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon have got the nod in the past two games but both struggled to recapture the form they showed at Leeds when Spurs lost at Middlesbrough three days later.

That could in turn open the door for Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon to come in depending on if the boss feels a change is necessary.

Reguilon has been his first-choice at left wing-back all season but has missed out on a start in the past few games after his absence against Man City due to Covid.

Sessegnon does seem to be getting better with the more games he has played recently and that does leave Conte with a decision to make.

Ryan Sessegnon celebrates with Antonio Conte following the late win against Man City (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Solve the consistency issue

The biggest problem the head coach has to solve at Tottenham is their consistency issue.

Brilliant one week and appearing to get back on track, Spurs more often than not come crashing back down to earth with the almightiest of bangs.

It happened days after their triumph at Man City, before happening again following the convincing 4-0 win at Leeds.

A failure to solve the issue for good and it will ultimately cost Spurs a top-four finish this season.

Spurs do tend to do well after a sustained period on the training ground with Conte and he will have his fingers crossed that the next few days help put an end to their problems for good.

Restore confidence in Son

Son Heung-min had a night to forget at the Riverside Stadium earlier in the week as Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup.

Missing a couple of chances on goal during his 120 minutes on the pitch, the South Korean just seemed to be shot of confidence with nothing going his way.

Seeing some of his passes not meet their intended target and also the ball just bouncing off him a couple of times, he was perhaps lucky to last the full game given how poorly he performed.

Outstanding at Man City just under a fortnight ago as they won 3-2, Son seems to go through phases where he is either brilliant or non-existent in games.

Conte needs his big players firing on all cylinders and he must make sure that Spurs see the best of him on Monday as they need to get points on the board.

Ensure others step up

Son and Harry Kane have been Tottenham's two main players over the past few seasons and have contributed with a bucketload of goals and assists during that time.

There is an overreliance on the duo but, as was the case at Middlesbrough, they cannot do it all themselves and need others to step up and chip in.

As important as it is that Tottenham's big players lead the team in dark times and drag them kicking and screaming to victory, Conte also needs so much more from other members of his squad if they are to really kick on.

A good week on the training ground could just be what is needed as Conte looks to get his message across loud and clear to his players.

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