In an alternative universe – one with which Tottenham Hotspur fans would be extremely familiar – Spurs lose to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
This was not a good performance by Spurs in their second Premier League clash of the season. The quality levels were low, the beef levels stratospheric, peaking somewhere between Antonio Conte's popping veins and Thomas Tuchel's rage-swollen eyes in a post-match tête-à-tête that advocates of football's old-fashioned thuggery days could only purr over. But in the alternative universe, the one that played out as recently as last season (three times with Conte at the Spurs' helm), there is no unfettered conviction to walk away with a point amidst all the belligerence, particularly one filched in the 87th-minute. Not against Chelsea.
But arguably more crucially, there is not the depth of quality that Conte can now relish and utilise on command in that place.
Conte’s crafty tactical switch in the second half as Spurs languished at 1-0 hinged on that strength in depth. The Italian replaced Ryan Sessegnon with the £60m Richarlison, pushing Spurs into a 4-2-4 formation to bring a forward thrust, and eventual equaliser, that the game had been crying out for. Conte’s later introductions in Ivan Perisic and Lucas Moura in the final throes only further demonstrated the new menace with which Spurs can threaten from their bench.
The North London club have enjoyed a busy and fruitful transfer window, with six transfers confirmed and another in the pipeline in Destiny Udogie from Udinese for a fee around £15m. The left-wing back impressively caught the eye in his standout season in Serie A, but with Spurs having already strengthened at left wing-back earlier in the summer with Ivan Perisic joining on a free transfer from Inter Milan, the 19-year-old will return to Udinese on a season-long loan.
Udogie’s signing represents shrewd investment planning for the future, a blueprint Spurs have not always followed but Conte has come to demand of the club and its hierarchy. The unprecedented £100m cash injection for summer transfers in June further exemplifies Conte’s impact, and the result has cut Spurs a healthier, all-around squad, with football director Fabio Paratici continuing to cull a bloated squad.
Conte has been anything but coy with voicing his desire to improve this team and the subsequent demands such a desire brings. The display at Stamford Bridge from Conte’s bench hints at some early evidence of what meeting those demands can do, though more work still needs to be done to breach the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool.
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