Against Everton, Tottenham recorded their highest totals both for distance covered (110.9km) and high-intensity sprints (151) in any game this season, according to Premier League tracking data.
For me, whilst this is essentially a pleasing development, there is a case to say that this has come at some cost. Spurs are seriously struggling to string together anything resembling attractive or particularly threatening football. The game against Everton was certainly an animated affair, but what of shots on our opponent’s goal?
A billion-pound stadium and a team that is still a work in progress.
I’m not sure you can make a correlation between the increased number of sprints taken and the lack of shots on target. We didn’t have a shot on target against Everton where the number was highest, but nor did we have one one on target the previous week against United when the number of sprints was lowest.
A cursory look at the sprints per game does seem to suggest most of our best results were achieved when the sprint count was highest.
What Conte would seem to be doing is improving the fitness levels of the team which have declined over recent regimes. If you look at the top clubs like City and Liverpool whilst there is much to admire about their football you can’t but be impressed by how hard they work. a point made on MOTD about City on Saturday and how lacklustre United were in comparison.
We are not as talented as the best teams in the country that much is obvious but there is no reason why we should not be as fit as them.
As a fan I can accept being beaten by a better side but as long as they give their all you can’t find fault.
The main issue will be when the manager says certain players don’t fit in and need to be sold. Levy will firstly want to know why the manager can’t get a tune out of them, secondly if he agrees to sell them, the asking prices will be prohibitive…
Pampered millionaires in “finally doing what they are paid for” shock
I dunno, you’d be in a bubble where you still wouldn’t be the highest paid person you know and everyone around you is coasting along picking up their wedge.
Easy to become blasé about it I’d say.
Its early days… yeah I know I know, we’ve been here before… but dossing under a lame duck like Nuno is a different story to dossing under someone as frankly scary as Conte!
Agree that some will not survive, but I’m looking forward to the next couple of months as I think there might be a couple who surprise us.
Hopefully we are looking a bit more like a team with a plan by the new year so the gaffer has a clear picture of what he needs.
Major surgery is needed with this squad, Conte will soon see who he can rely on and who is for the high jump.
Then in January it’s up to Danny boy to grow a pair and open his wallet…anything less will be total carnage!!
Either way it will be fun to watch
Conte, this is the team as it is until January and what he can do to improve a sorry looking bunch and not the focus on Levy, Lewis and ENIC in this closed window. Mixing the back room shenanigans with the on pitch activities just muddle the water. We are and should be in perpetual outrage on about how the club is run, but allow for at least a little time to enjoy some football. Maybe?
If I was a professional athlete being paid hundreds of thousands of pahnds a year looking at those stats I’d be disgusted with myself.
I would imagine Conte wants the running and commitment as something that is a prerequisite. He mentioned after the match that the final ball wasn’t good at all, a work in progress indeed.
Been a work in progress for 22 years, without that perception I’m not quite sure how Levy operates! 🤔