Conte's Tottenham
This was the Antonio Conte Tottenham Hotspur that the Italian wants people to see, the one he's proud to have his name attached to.
It's been hard not to feel that the former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss has been slightly disconnecting himself with Spurs in recent weeks.
All the talk about how he deserves to be at a club that wins trophies and how this isn't the Tottenham he expected when he walked through the door has suggested someone who is not looking at the long-term and certainly nothing past dragging the team over the finishing line this season.
Yet, with his wife Elisabetta and daughter Vittoria over from Italy and in the stands, Conte appeared to reconnect with a Spurs side that bore all of his fingerprints.
Tottenham bossed possession against Everton, had 14 shots on goal, seven on target, scored five goals, kept a clean sheet and once again the wing-backs were creative, just as Conte wants.
He applauded all four corners of the ground as the fans chanted his name repeatedly throughout the 5-0 thrashing.
The Spurs boss had renewed confidence at the final whistle, borne of seeing his players play as he had instructed them to.
After some early stutters they took control of the match, steamrolling a poor Everton side who did not know what had hit them.
Whether it was another upward climb on the head coach's emotional Spurs rollercoaster or another piece of 'strategy' to get them to find some consistency, this was a happy but determined Conte.
After previously telling football.london that he was not a man to go out for dinner with after a defeat, he admitted this time on nights like this that he's great company at dinner, maybe even "the disco as well".
For on Monday evening he decided it was time for a rallying battle cry to replace the 'time and patience' rhetoric which has not provoked consistency.
"A good night for sure. For my players and our fans, I am sure they are delighted for this performance. A very important three points for the table," he told the BBC.
"We will try to fight until the end for the best possible position in the table. A top four race for sure and we want to be involved. I think we are becoming stronger in many aspects.
"We have to avoid ups and downs and to be a stable team. We have to take the responsibility now. We have to fight to reach the best possible position and to fight for a place in the Champions League.
"For sure it won't be easy. We need to have ambition and I think we can do this, I think we ready to do this."
For a man who had played down the top four chase throughout his tenure, now he has decided that with 12 matches left and no trophy to play for, his players need to have something to focus on.
Having players back like Rodrigo Bentancur, who brought calm to the midfield and knows exactly what Conte demands, will also strengthen the head coach's cause.
When football.london asked him a question about whether he was now seeing a Conte Spurs team out there, he delivered a long, five-minute answer which ended with a similar challenge to his players.
"Now we have 12 games to play until the end of the season. I listen and you [the media] ask me in every press conference about the top four race," he said.
"I said to my players that it's right to take responsibility about this because I think that from when I arrived to now we are stronger.
"In January two players made us more complete. I think that we can fight. We can fight for this target. It's important to have this ambition and it's not right to hide our ambition and ok we'll see what happens.
"We'll try to do everything and at the end we'll see what happens. Now we have only 12 games to play, not a trophy to play for. For this reason it's right to take the responsibility, me, myself, I have to be the first.
"You know I don't like to speak about ambition and reaching a place in the Champions League because I like to play to win the league and win trophies, but in this situation this could be our Champions League, our Premier League title if we are able to reach fourth place."
Conte has tried to downplay what this Tottenham team can achieve and perhaps that lack of pressure has played its part in the inconsistent displays.
Now, having seen them transform their negative goal difference into a plus eight one thanks to nine goals in two Premier League matches and two clean sheets, Spurs have put themselves in a position to challenge.
Saturday at Old Trafford will show whether they truly believe they can.
The mark of the wing-backs
Conte said after the win at Leeds that he could feel his mark with the play of the wing-backs. Against Everton, three of them took it to another level.
Ryan Sessegnon began proceedings with a dangerous low cross after Ben Davies played him down the left.
The 21-year-old's driven ball into the box from the touchline was either going to be slammed home by Harry Kane or Everton defender Michael Keane. In the end it was the latter who just could not deal with the tricky ball and sent it rocketing past Jordan Pickford.
Unfortunately for Sessegnon, a first half that mixed good attacking movement with some sloppy defensive hesitation on the ball ended with another injury.
The look on his face said it all as he sank to the turf and starting shaking his head. At one point he turned away and buried his face in the grass in frustration.
That he played another minute or so before the half-time whistle sounded perhaps is a crumb of comfort to grab but it will still be a worry for a player who has been hampered by hamstring injuries every time he has got up and running for a prolonged period at Spurs.
Further evaluation of his injury was taking place on Tuesday but Sessegnon's six-game run of starts is likely to come to an end temporarily after this, his 50th Premier League appearance.
That's not least because Sergio Reguilon - who Conte told football.london needed to fight for his place just days before - responded with a goal just 41 seconds after coming on at the start of the second half.
It was a goal right out of the Conte playbook with a wing-back following up at the back post, the Spaniard smashing home Dejan Kulusevski's low ball across the box.
It's something that Reguilon needs to add more of to his game. By his own admission, like Emerson Royal, he's a natural full-back learning to be a wing-back for the first time. Sessegnon and Matt Doherty are the two more natural wing-backs.
Reguilon has the pace though and the technique to revel in the role but he needs the quality in the final third and that's what has been lacking from his game when playing there.
This was only his second goal of the season and he has not contributed an assist since early December, with just three to his name this campaign in all competitions.
This goal needs to be the kickstart Reguilon needs to his attacking improvement.
The wing-back of the night though was Doherty, who put in his best performance in a Spurs shirt by a country mile.
This is the Doherty that Tottenham thought they were buying back in the summer of 2020 and now finally able to get a run in his preferred position, he's showing what he can do.
Images were shared in WhatsApp groups after the game of Maradona with Doherty's face jokingly swapped on to the Argentine's, such was the quality of his creative play.
His first-time low defence-splitting pass to Kane for Spurs' third goal was instinctive and perfect, the striker being played on by the last man of the Everton defence.
Before that he had come inside into a central role and hit a beautiful ball with the outside of his right-foot into the path of Son Heung-min, who was unable to beat Pickford during their one vs one.
Doherty saved the best ball for last though with a flighted diagonal pass with his instep that floated perfectly for Kane to meet with a left-footed volley to send it against the right-hand post and in.
Doherty and Kane have grown close off the pitch - the duo are golfing buddies - and that connection will only help on the pitch.
"Ryan Sessegnon we have to make evaluation tomorrow. I hope nothing serious as it is a muscular problem," said Conte after the game.
"I hope nothing serious because every time this player is having continuity of performance and then something wrong or little injury. I hope is nothing serious.
"I was happy for Sergio Reguilon because after Covid he came in and scored. He's another player who has a lot of space for improvement and my expectation that he improves his level.
"[Matt] Doherty is another player who I'd like to underline the improvement and then also we have Emerson.
"Now the competition into the team is important. I think now I am starting to see a bit of competition into the team and if you want to become strong it is important to have competition and not players that they are sure they are going to play every game, every game, every game.
"They have to deserve it and the competition be very good to improve our level."
The terrifying Tottenham trio
Conte has now found a perfect blend with his current front three.
Son provides the movement and pace that pulls defences all over the place, Kulusevski uses a blend of strength and creativity to cut them open and Kane applies the world class touch - whether it be a killer pass or a finish.
Kulusevski is proving to be a bargain find so far since arriving in north London from Turin.
Just 21-years-old, he has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water with two goals and three assists in his first five starts.
He's strong and physical enough to handle the demands of English football but also has the quick feet and delicate touch required to make things happen around him.
The Swede is very direct in his play and he looks to drive through at every opportunity. He does like to cut inside on to his favoured left foot but there were promising signs against Everton that he is bringing more variety to his play with some right footed passes, not least the assist for Reguilon.
Kulusevski - Deki to his team-mates - is still so young that it's exciting to think what he will be able to produce as he continues to improve on the training pitches with Conte and adapts even further to a league he already seems so comfortable in.
Spurs are only paying £2.5m for the use of the Sweden international this season on loan and it will be £5.8m for next season. There's also an obligation to buy him permanently if certain sporting criteria are met and an option if not, both are for £29.2m and payable within five years.
If he continues in this vein then that will be a bargain of a deal.
Kulusevski's arrival is also good news for Son.
One complaint about Lucas Moura could be that assists have not particularly been a major part of his game in the Premier League as his numbers show, although it is something he has improved in recent seasons at Spurs.
With Kulusevski his first instinct appears to be to find a team-mate and with Son on the opposite flank the pair have already show plenty of promising combinations.
On Monday night alone, the Swede set up Son's goal with a poked pass through and then in the second half showed some great feet to put him through again for a decent second half chance.
With Kulusevski and Kane both looking to feed the ball into Son's runs, the South Korean will soon be back on form.
In the mean time, Monday night's match was another strange one for Son. His movement and running off the ball was excellent and contributed to Everton's shape falling to pieces at the back.
However, he still looks to be lacking confidence when running through on goal. He had three big chances in the first half alone when put through towards the box.
For the first he was tackled as he hesitated on the edge of the area, the second he scored with a low shot at Pickford that the keeper messed up and the third the Everton stopper denied him.
Son goes through streaks of confidence in front of goal. During the times when his confidence is low you know that the more time he has to think about his finish, the less likely it is to hit the back of the net.
During those games he's still just as likely to score with a crisp, instinctive finish to save Spurs, but when it comes to having more time he can struggle.
His confidence will return - he's still the fourth top scorer in the Premier League - and he's still as popular as ever with his Spurs team-mates.
When he was substituted he went over and high-fived all of the staff and players as normal.
Cristian Romero had other ideas though, not letting go of Son's hand and instead pulling him over across his and others' blanketed laps, banging on his back like a teasing brother before affectionately pulling the laughing South Korean's hair a few times.
Still on the pitch was Kane, who was again unplayable. It's no coincidence that the 28-year-old has bossed the matches against Brighton, Manchester City, Leeds and Everton, and was impressive at Leicester, and Spurs won all five, yet they lost all the other games he was quieter in in 2022.
That's about others needing to step up when he has quieter days rather than relying on him.
For Kane is hitting his stride again, with seven goals in his past seven matches and his two strikes on Monday night were his 175th and 176th in the Premier League, taking him up to sixth in the competition's all-time list, above ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and one behind the manager whose team he ripped apart, Frank Lampard.
His first goal showed his timing and confidence when running through on goal as you never expected him to miss and his second goal was another over the shoulder left-footed volley from a tight angle after the more close range one at Leeds.
He also put a great cross on a plate for Eric Dier in the second half, which the centre-back headed against the crossbar, as well as various dribbles, close control, spins and clever balls out to the wide men.
Conte did not miss the fact that Kane's up and down performances have coincided with Tottenham's.
"We are talking about a world-class striker, but at the same time I tell you after Manchester City he scored twice and Harry didn't score against Burnley. At Leeds he scored again and he didn't score against Middlesbrough," he said.
"Tonight he scored and my expectation is to see on Saturday a great game, not only for Harry but for all the team."
The Tottenham fans will be hoping that Kane, who has 241 goals for the club, will now look to push on to plunder the 26 goals required to beat Jimmy Greaves' record of 266.
"I feel like I’m in a great place. I’m 28 now, I feel like physically I’m in a really good place," he said. "I feel mentally, my game understanding and my awareness on the pitch is at a really high level from just gaining experience over the years.
"Antonio has definitely given me more strings to my bow. I’m always someone who tries to improve. When I’m 35, 36 I’ll still be trying to improve. That’s just my mindset.
"For sure, I’m in a good place. It’s nice to be scoring goals, winning games, helping the team. Overall, it’s about working hard, keeping my head down.
"There’s always stuff I can improve on, whether it’s finishing, hold up play, passing and that’s what I’ll continue to do, but for sure, I feel like there’s more and more to come and I’m excited for that."
That Dele Alli goodbye
The Spurs fans had already made Dele Alli fully aware of their affection for him as he returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday evening.
First they cheered him as he warmed up and then when he prepared to come on as a substitute in the second half, the entire stadium boomed out his chant.
It must have brought such conflicting emotions for the 25-year-old, who was trying to help his new team restore some pride after being battered by his old side.
At the final whistle he first made sure he walked over to applaud the hardy Everton fans who had stuck around until the very end despite their team's miserable performance.
As he walked back from them, some of his old Spurs team-mates came over to find him. Kane and Son both hugged him while his long-time friend, Eric Dier, who had been struggling with a cold during the game, also made his way over to embrace him.
Then Dele didn't seem to know how to play the next moment. Did he simply applaud the Spurs fans as he walked off or do something more?
His final seasons at Tottenham had been difficult, masking some of the wonderful moments he had given the Spurs faithful as one of Europe's most talented young players, with crucial goals in the biggest of games.
Fittingly, the club captain Hugo Lloris ended up making the decision for Dele as he walked over to him, put his arm around him and led him across the pitch to the big south stand where the majority of the remaining Spurs fans were to say a proper goodbye to a club that had been his home for almost seven years.
It was a lovely moment and the fans again sang his chant loud and proud and the emotion on Alli's face was clear to see.
Tottenham supporters will want to see him do well at Everton, not only to see such a talented player back on track in his career but also because their club will benefit financially if he shines again.
On Monday night, it was the send off Dele deserved. His final seasons were not what he or the fans wanted but they did not erase what he did for Tottenham Hotspur.
The top four race
Now it's all about Saturday and the trip to Old Trafford.
"I want to tell you what I said to my players 'ok this is the past and enjoy the game tonight but from tomorrow you have to think about Saturday's game against United'," Conte told football.london.
"They're a really strong team, a team that in my opinion, a squad that is ready to fight for the Premier League and every competition that they play in.
"It will be a real challenge for us and I want to see the answer, the answer about my players and also myself."
Spurs have to ditch this win-loss-win-loss record in 2022 and to do it away at Manchester United would be the perfect time to shed it.
The comprehensive victory across town at the Etihad Stadium last month showed that this team should have no fear of going to any side in the Premier League.
Their biggest enemy this year has been themselves and an inability to get themselves up and running for games. Often you've been able to tell from the first 15 minutes which Tottenham Hotspur has turned up.
For Conte, that most games now bring more days to prepare plays to his strengths. Spurs are yet to lose a match that he has had five or more days to prepare the team for, in fact they've won all but one.
"When I have time, more days to prepare the game, then you can plan a problem and arrive in the right moment physically, tactically, mentally to play an important game," he said on Monday night.
"I said to you before when we have four or five days it was then difficult to play against us.
"For sure I repeat when you stay for a long time with one team and then the players know your philosophy [it is different] and now we are going day by day to improve, working but on Saturday at the same time we have to play a game for three points.
"I think that I have the possibility to have one month in pre-season to work with my players about my idea.
"Now after four and a half months, I'm starting to see what we are working on. For me it's a pleasure when the players enjoy to play football, not only to win but at the same time to find the solutions that we find during the training sessions.
"For sure we can improve and we have a lot of space for improvement but now I said to the players that we've reached a good level and for this reason now it's right to take the responsibility and now with United, Arsenal, West Ham and the other teams that want to fight for the top four we have to go into the situation and get the best."
If Tottenham could get a positive result at Old Trafford then it would put them in a very strong position in the top four race, with games in hand over everyone but Arsenal who perhaps have a tougher run-in.
If Spurs could get back into the Champions League, it would not only mark a remarkable achievement for Conte - he compared it to winning the Premier League title - but it would also create a very different Tottenham Hotspur for next season.
The financial boost and transfer implications and the feeling around the club would provide far stronger foundations for the likes of Conte and Kane as a defining summer approaches.
The Spurs fans certainly deserve it. On Monday night, a crowd of 59,647 packed into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the aftermath of that dismal FA Cup exit in midweek.
The fans will always support the team and that's why it feels like another misguided decision by the club to quickly announce their season ticket renewals window, with a deadline as close as April 29.
That's almost a month before this Premier League season ends and the more cynical out there might suggest that the club are trying to lock in people and their money before any potential changes in the summer.
It's difficult to compare the deadline date with recent years. The last two years have been pandemic-affected so the renewal period opened later, for example last year it began in mid-April last year and closed on June 3.
The best comparison is perhaps pre-pandemic in 2019 when the renewals opened on April 29 and the deadline was May 16 but Spurs could argue it is a longer window this time.
The 2018 renewal process was also a difficult one to compare with because it was the one planned for the new stadium switchover so had many phases to it.
If you go back to 2015, that was an April 30 deadline but the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust asked for it then to be delayed by a couple of weeks.
They are doing the same again this year, with the message on Twitter: "As we told the club, the reaction to bringing the season ticket renewal deadline forward to 29 April has been overwhelmingly negative.
"We are urging the club to respect its fans and move the deadline. Any fans wanting to lend their voices can email SupporterServices@TottenhamHotspur.com."
Tottenham do struggle when it comes to reading the room. They need to be very careful with their fans in the months ahead and ensure they do not take them for granted.
Freezing the season ticket prices was a positive move but trying to swiftly take the money off them before the campaign has revealed its conclusion can only seem more deliberate and calculating than perhaps it is.
Chairman Daniel Levy needs the fans on board this summer in case things do take another turn for the worst.
Should Conte end up parting ways with the club this summer and Kane look to leave again then those fans who have already handed over their hard-earned cash are not going to take kindly to it.
For the sake of a couple of weeks, combined with the fact that we are always told that there are thousands in the queue waiting to get a season ticket if others decide not to renew, it seems logical to push the deadline slightly until more is known about what comes next.
Perhaps it is that security blanket of knowing other waiting fans will simply take on the unsold season tickets that brought about such a date in the first place.
The coming weeks will tell us a lot of things. They will show us whether the powers-that-be at Tottenham can learn to read a room.
The weeks ahead will also tell us whether Conte, Kane & Co can find the consistency with no fixture pile-up to make the fans proud of the team again.
Monday and a rocking Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were a great start, but they need to be part of something bigger.
