Son plays alongside the definitive No.9 of his generation. As character arcs go, starting the season as a rusting, neglected vehicle under the hapless Nuno Espirito Santo and ending the campaign as a Golden Boot winner took some beating. Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and even Harry Kane continue to dominate EPL screen time, unfairly, considering the stellar efforts of the South Korean.
If Hollywood ever sought to cast an EPL movie, a respected character actor would portray the Tottenham forward, putting in a decent, commendable performance, but mostly at the edge of frame. The South Korean is no dark horse, but he’s never been a leading man, not quite. If everything clicks quickly enough, the restless and permanently dissatisfied Conte might even set his sights a little higher, especially if he ends up with the player of the season … While Manchester United seek a new identity, line-up and playing philosophy under a new manager, Conte’s Spurs are settled, prepared and ready to run, relentlessly, for the most impatient manager in the business.Īnd the recent acquisition of Richarlison in attack only adds to the expectations. A controlled, intelligent passer, Kulusevski embodies Conte’s methodical approach in midfield, taking the ball quickly and distributing it wisely. Dejan Kulusevski, also 22, only joined from Juventus in January but ended up with eight assists. The 22-year-old transformed himself into one of the most reliable left wing-backs in the EPL, let alone at Tottenham.Īnother wide player, a little further forward, also benefitted from Conte’s turbo-charged attitude to training. They ended up in fourth, via 17 wins and five draws from 28 games.Ī lover of fast, relentless wingbacks, Conte took a drifting Ryan Sessegnon and threw him forward. Talking titles with Tottenham is a little premature, but Conte inherited a broken, bewildered side languishing in eighth position and lacking direction and motivation.
The Italian’s heroics last season were arguably underappreciated, almost dismissed as typically Conte-esque, turning comatose footballers into Champions League qualifiers.īut the enigmatic Italian is arguably the greatest hope of challenging - or at least getting close to – the duopoly of Manchester City and Liverpool.Īs it stands, bookmakers have offered 16/1 odds for Spurs winning the title, which seems rather generous considering Conte’s track record of upsetting the apple cart, quickly and briefly, at both Chelsea and Inter Milan. Conte leaves, usually with a tidy swag of silver slung over his shoulder. It’s not so much Ocean’s XI as it is Antonio Conte’s XI, the smash and grab specialists who treat every campaign like an impatient, frenetic, action-packed trailer. The EPL no longer has patience for the well-planned caper, the long scam that pays out a couple of seasons from now. 1) The power breakers – Tottenham Hotspur
0 kommentar(er)
