Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has a big call to make as his side travel to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League tonight.
The Italian head coach will be without his usual first-choice right wing-back Emerson Royal after his careless red card in the defeat to Arsenal but recently offered a savage response over his two likely replacements in Djed Spence, signed in a £20m deal this summer, and Matt Doherty, who has long struggled to cement his place at the club.
“The fans have to be fans. The fans is the fans, I understand they can think everything but I see every day what happens during the training session,” he said when asked about the England U21 international (via the Mirror), before adding: “If I didn’t decide to pick one player it’s maybe because he’s not ready.
“Also Doherty last season played every game. Now I’m not seeing him in the right way to start the game. I’m not stupid, I don’t want to lose. I try to put the best team, to pick the best team.”
It does leave more questions than answers when it comes to his potential starting lineup this evening, though we may have already seen a successful alternative.
During the 6-2 rout of Leicester City before the international break, Conte deployed Ivan Perisic on the right, which allowed Ryan Sessegnon a place on the left and it evidently paid dividends.
Between them, they created all three of Spurs’ big chances, as per SofaScore, which included an assist from the Croatian veteran.
The Seagulls are likely to favour a similar wing-back system, so the duo could get opportunities aplenty to influence the game at both ends of the pitch and even if the home side reverts to Roberto De Zerbi’s long-standing 4-2-3-1 now he’s had more time at the helm, it’ll only benefit Sessegnon and Perisic more as there will be fewer bodies to defend them out wide.
Once lauded as a “huge talent” who could become “one of the world’s best in his position” by his former Fulham teammate Stefan Johansen, the 22-year-old dynamo is yet to truly stamp down his mark ever since that £25m switch in August 2019.
But Conte’s system suits his talent and potential to a tee.
From what little game time he’s had this campaign, Sessegnon has shown glimpses of being the long-term solution in the role, having managed a better tackle success rate per 90 than the 33-year-old by 10%, via WhoScored, whilst also registering fewer unsuccessful touches and dispossessions per 90 than other key names like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dejan Kulusevski and Perisic once again.
As such, it would be wise to return to that wing-back tandem at the Amex Stadium this evening as it’s one that could ultimately fire Spurs to success and they’ll be desperate to get back to winning ways, with the Seagulls just three points behind them in the standings before kick-off.
AND in other news, Paratici could form scary Spurs duo by signing £35m “prodigy”, imagine him and Romero…
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