Antonio Conte's Tottenham side have been continuing to work on the training pitch at Hotspur Way, as the international break continues. The Italian only has a handful of players who remained in the capital during the break, with most of them jetting off to play for their countries.
Spurs' last game before the break was a 3-1 victory against West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. After the match, Conte spoke about the bad timing of the pause.
"Honestly it’s a pity to have the international break in this moment because in this moment we are in good form, in a good moment about the results, the performance," he admitted. "But I know very well there is an international break and with the players that have to go with the national team we will see them after nine days, ten days but with the others we prepared two different situations of rest."
READ MORE: The 8 Tottenham players Antonio Conte will work with in training during the international break
The Lilywhites are now halfway through the break and they will return to Premier League action next Sunday, hosting their fixture against Newcastle. Tottenham are currently fifth and just three points behind fourth placed Arsenal, with the battle for a spot inside the top four still ongoing.
As the international break continues, football.london takes a look at the things spotted in training with those who have remained in the capital.
Even more youngsters get their call
A number of the Spurs academy players get their chance to train with the first team on many occasions. Harvey White, Dane Scarlett and Alfie Devine have all been included in Conte's matchday squad this season.
With numbers lacking from multiple players on international duty, yet more of the youngsters were called upon to join the first teams training session. Along with the aforementioned players, a number of the other academy squad members often train with Conte's side.
However during Tottenham's training video, a lot more of them could be seen. The likes of Marcel Lavinier, Tobi Omole and Malachi Fagan-Walcott were all spotted training at Hotspur Way.
During the session, Fagan-Walcott made a nice tackle on Sergio Reguilon and all of the youngsters looked to get stuck in and impress. It is unlikely that many, if any, will get a chance on the pitch in Spurs' final nine games of the season after the break, but they will need to continue their hard work in an attempt to break into the first team in the near future.
Eric Dier front and centre
Dier is one of the first team players who has remained in N17 during the international break, much to the surprise of many, and Conte commented on his defender not getting a call-up, after the announcement of the England team. "Honestly I hope for the players to receive this call up," he said.
"He’s working very hard and in this moment he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He has also big space to improve his performance and his quality and to become a stronger and stronger player."
Although the 28-year-old will have to wait to represent his country again, it does allow him more time to work with the Italian. Dier was front and centre of much of the action in Tottenham's training video.
The defender was seen making runs up the field in the training matches during the session, slotting the ball in the back of the net on a number of occasions. He was also on the end of Reguilon's cross to head the ball into the back of the net during a crossing drill in the session.
The 28-year-old has arguably been Spurs' most consistent defender this season and his presence was hugely missed when he picked up an injury earlier in the season. Dier is one of Conte's leaders on the field and his time working with the Italian during the international break will only help to develop his already improved form.
Sergio Reguilon practice
Reguilon has stepped in once again, in the absence of Ryan Sessegnon in recent games. The 21-year-old is yet again suffering with an injury problem, continuing with his bad luck with injuries.
The Spaniard is another player who has seen improvements under Conte, but it is his attacking play that still needs to be taken a step further. In the win against West Ham, there were a couple of times when Reguilon had a chance in the final third but almost looked scared to have a shot on goal.
Therefore, the 25-year-old is one player who should benefit from remaining in the capital during the international break, giving him a chance to work on the attacking side of his game with the Spurs boss. This was already seen in training as he also slotted the ball into the back of the net during the training match.
The session also saw a crossing drill where one player would put the ball in the box for one of two players to then try and slot it into the back of the net. Reguilon was whipping balls into the box and it could be the crucial practice he needs to prepare him for the final stretch of games after the break.
Conte will be hoping the players who have remained in London can continue putting in the hard work needed until the rest of his squad returns. Once the Italian has the whole team back together, he will be working hard to prepare them for the final nine league games of the season, with the aim of securing Champions League football next year.
