How Conte might set up Spurs.

This week Antonio Conte was appointed as Tottenham head coach following Nuno Espirito Santo dismissal. The Italian signed an 18-month deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following Nunos sack after last weekend's 3-0 home defeat to Man Utd in which his team failed to register a single shot on target.

Nov 4, 2021 - 16:38 Updated: Nov 4, 2021 - 16:36

Antonio Conte being unveiled as Spurs Coach.

Conte sets up his teams in a 3-5-2/3-4-3/3-4-1-2/3-4-2-1 depending on the personnel of the team. In Spurs he finds a team that has been through a rough patch but contains his "type of players".

Contes approach is somewhat similar to Mourinho in term of management and fiery persona hence comparisons between the two.

Conte likes his teams aggressive and they tend to play short passing possession game in which the ball is played out from the back. His teams play direct attacking football while utilizing long balls to score from the counter with relatively few touches. His teams have always been compact and defensively solid as well as very aggressive pressers in order to pile pressure on the opposition and recover the ball as quickly as possible. His teams also boast pace, athleticism and high work-rates(prime examples are Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Ng'olo Kante among others),versatility and are technically gifted as well as tactically astitute.

So with that said let's take a dive at his possible line-up:

Keeper

In between the sticks Hugo Lloris is the number 1 as his seniority and leadership is key. Lloris is s commanding presence at the back as well as one of the seniors in the current Spurs roaster.

The purchase of Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta was a stroke of genius and he's definitely the Spurs future number 1. Conte will have to ease him in the starting line up as Hugo isn't getting any younger(yes I know keepers usually play till their 40+ but Lloris has lost some aspects of his game due to age. Gollini offers much more in general and his exceptional ball playing abilities will play a pivotal role in Conte ball and is definitely one to watchout for in the near future).

CBs - Romero - Eric Dier - Tanganga

Sub(Sanchez, Joe Rodon)

Conte likes his defence aggressive as well as be great ball progressers. Romero is accustomed to 3 at the back as he player a somewhat similar system with Atalanta under Gasperini. He's also great on the ball as well as a lethal aerial threat and isn't scared to come off his line to thwart attacks. Bit reminiscent of a Skriniar I'd say.

Japhet Tanganga is a very solid CB as well. Sanchez having played previously at Ajax knows what's expected as most Ajax graduates/players are really good on the ball as well as off it but Sanchez time in England hasn't been exactly brilliant( I know you're already having flashes of his atrocious defending compilations like the one vs Bernado Silva at City where he was left for dead) but on his day he is marvellous.

Recently converted CDM Eric Dier might also warrant a start as he's a workhorse and strives to give 1000% as we also saw in his Mourinho tenures.

Wing Backs

Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal

Understudies - Matt Doherty and Ben Davies.

Reguilòn is excellent going forwards and is probably undisputed in the position. Ben Davies could play in games that entail a pragmatic approach but wrestling a starting spot off Reguilòn is no walk in the park as he is one of the best LWBs in today's modern game.

Ben Davies has had a number of stinkers over the years but maybe a resurgence awaits him under Conte? He could also be slotted as the LCB in the back 3.

Royal has had quite a slow start but what keeps him on the first team is the fact that he is young and full of promise as seen in Real Betis. However under Spurs he's seemed rather cumbersome with the ball which may be down to Nunos system but let's see what Conte has in store for us. Matt Doherty can slot in RWB as well as he goes up and down the flank but his end product needs more work. Certainly a downgrade from Achraf Hakimi and Darmian but he's working with the available before he can get a chance to spend big in the transfer market and tweak the squad to his liking.

The 'Godfather' usually has a tendency of converting Wingers into Wing Backs as seen through players such as Victor Moses, Ivan Perisic, Juan Cuadrado etc and he might do just the same in Spurs with players such as Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and new boy Bryan Him being the primary suspects of the Conte evolution.

Midfield

Giovani Lo Celso - Emile Pierre Højbjerg - Tanguy Ndombele

Subs(Dier, Oliver Skipp, Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, Harry Winks)

A typical Conte team usually has 2 characteristics:

1.Mezzala(box-to-box midfielder)

2. Regista/Deep lying playmaker (DLP)

Contes' mezzala usually tends to be dynamic and robust lads who are ruthless in the tackle as well as tactically disciplined with the likes of Nico Barella as his most recent work who is currently one of if not the best midfielder in Serie A.

Regista - Conte fields his DLP usually alongside a dynamic midfielder as seen in the case of Andrea Pirlo at Juve where he was paired with Claudio Marchisio and Aleix Vidal to cover up the shortcomings of the Italian maestros lack of pace.

As of now Højbjerg could play as the Regista as his ball playing abilities and ball deliveries usually goes under the radar due to his robust tackles and destroyer role. Moreover, as seen in his early Bayern Munich days as well as the recent Euros, he can actually be a creative lynchpin. He played a big part in Switzerland's run to the semis as he took on the creative burden/role after Eriksen was ruled out due to heart related problems.

His understudy would be Harry Winks but just like Ben Davies he's rather too inconsistent and over the years has fallen off the first team roster.

Lo Celso could play as the Mezzala as well as Delle Alli as seen during the Poch era but the latter's attitude over the years has been a huge problem as stipulated by recent managers Josè Mourinho and Nuno. Conte just like Mou is a fiesty lad and won't tolerate his theatrics.

Tanguy Ndombele is ideally to be partnered alongside Giovani as it's a more balanced midfield but Oliver Skipp could also play a pivotal part in the "Godfathers" team.

Eric Dier could be slotted as a sitter in his preferred CDM role if Conte looks to break opposition transition early. This would allow Lo Celso and Ndombele to join the 2 man attack and create havoc by overloading the central and wide channels.

Forward line - Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min aka 'Sonaldo'

Of course the duo is the undisputed attacking force. They have been for years and we can't see Antonio tweaking the forward line any time soon perhaps only depth is needed. A second striker is a reasonable addition amid a Harry Kane departure. Conte could keep the attack line fresh by slotting Delle Alli and Lucas Moura in there as well as if they aren't placed in the midfield or go for one or two youth players based on team set-up as well as their opposition. Conte isn't afraid to try new things - bringing in fresh blood or handing academy graduates first team minutes as seen in Italy where he introduced Bastoni to the first team set-up as well as Andres Cristiensen and Reece James during his tenure at the Blue side of London.