After a tough start to their 2021-22 season, Tottenham Hotspur decided to sack manager Nuno Espírito Santo and bring in Antonio Conte. The north London club has improved under the Italian tactician as they now find themselves fighting for a top-four spot.
Furthermore, there have also been players who have seen an uptick in their form since Conte has taken over the reins as manager, none more so than midfielder Harry Winks.
The 26-year-old stated that he felt his time with Spurs was looking like it was ending. Winks had his words relayed by The Athletic when discussing the breath of fresh air that he’s had under Conte.
“The manager’s come in and given me a chance, given me confidence again. Every game I play, every training session, I have that hunger to try to impress him and do everything I can to try to improve,” Winks said.
“Like I said before, my career at Tottenham was probably dead and buried, but he’s come in and given me an opportunity to show myself and prove myself. And for that, every time I get an opportunity, I really want to impress the manager and show myself and repay that faith he’s shown in me and put it back to me.”
Winks made only one Premier League start under previous manager Nuno. Since then, the midfielder has made six league starts under the 52-year-old, including the last three matches.
The midfielder also discussed his emotions before Conte’s arrival, considering the lack of playing time.
“Well, I wouldn’t say it was completely dead and buried, but my chances at Tottenham were looking slim,” Winks said. “I wasn’t getting opportunities, and it might have looked like I would need to leave the club. I don’t know.”
Both Bentaleb and Edwards have something that Harry Winks does not.
Bentaleb could win the ball back, was physically strong and able to compete in 1v1 duels on the ground and in the air. He was at least the equal of Winks and arguably a better all round player. I would take him over Winks all day long.
Edwards was a very skilful prospect who looked capable of scoring and creating goals for his team mates. He could dribble past players and cross the ball. He was recently transferred to Sporting in Portugal as he has been steadily improving since he left Spurs 3 years ago.
Pochettino was a great coach. Particularly when coaching players bought by someone else. His managerial decisions were hit and miss. Fifty fifty.
Levy will have insisted that Winks was integrated in to the first team as an academy product to succeed Dembele. Bentaleb and Edwards are doing what now exactly? Playing at a higher level than a club like Spurs? Nope.
I agree, he’s not been great but who has? PEH is beginning to look limited, Royal and Sanchez have been stinking the place out etc. I feel problems with sports teams ate usually much more collective than people like to think.
You can imagine Levy saying “What do you mean by rotation ?”
Mindset wise winks needs to not crumble under pressure. Southampton targeted him twice in a press
Really like the look of him – it seemed he had extra time on the ball compared to our other midfielders, but agreed that we need another guy who is creative and can hold on to the ball.
See Coutinho just got 1+2 against Leeds. Just putting it out there.
Bentancur looks the part so far and will probably start next game, he should help Hoj who has gone off the boil, but we still require that creative player in there, and that is only one issue to be solved.
When I saw the headline ‘Looking slim’ I thought, well this can’t be about Ndombele !
The combined problems of the defence and the m/f is a huge issue as has been mentioned continuously, they should be able to link up a lot better than they do when defending in numbers and breaking out to attack.
Just hope signing Bentancur means PEH won’t have to play every game from now on (and Winks will get benched indefinitely), once Skippy gets fit again.
Levynomics…play em til they break ..play em some more ..
We always seem to do this. We sign a decent player and then milk him until he’s completely shot. I said that a few months after we signed PEH – he is good, but needs support (capable partners to play and to rotate with).
Instead, he’s had to carry Lo NoShow, N’dombelly or Winks. No coincidence we look decidedly more stable and resilient when PEH plays with Skippy – a competent player who doesn’t shy away from hard work.
Good idea let’s single out Winks as a poor performer …Winks was dreadful the fact many others were dreadful doesn’t make his performance as a senior pro any more palatable..he cannot play in his own half because he is a liability he still may see out another manager..that is his real talent..seeing coaches out,,should get a job with Grey Green..take Reg with him.
PEH has credit in the bank. He has been played in just about every game he has made himself available for. His poor form could be due to playing with an injury for all we know. We know what PEH is capable of from his consistent performances last season. Likewise; we know what to consistently expect from Winks.
Easy to single Winks out as a poor performer when it was clear on Weds night that it was t just him who was poor.PEH has been woeful and defensively we’re shot. But ! It seems anything and everything that is wrong defensively and in MF is down to Winks.
Talk is cheap and so was Winks. I blame Pochettino for this particular problem. Poch had no problem bombing out Bentaleb, Marcus Edwards and many others who had the potential to progress. Winks was Pochettino’s star pupil and in my opinion is at the route of everything that has gone wrong at Spurs over the last three years. Winks replaced Moussa Dembele in the Spurs starting 11 in the second half of the 18 / 19 season.
Spurs subsequently stopped winning away from home. Toby, Jan and Eriksen were all still here at that point. As these players have left, one by one, the home form has also gone and we now don’t know what we will get from Spurs from one game to the next.
Winks is the personification of Tottenham’s downward trend. Spurs is as good as it gets for Harry Winks. If he is very lucky he will get a transfer to a lower half Premier League team in the near future. However; this team will either get relegated or will sell Winks within 18 months. Harry Winks is destined for a journey into the Football League. No other ambitious team would have tolerated Winks mediocrity for approaching 200 games.
Spurs are the gift that keeps on giving.
Winks & Rodon proof that Tony ain’t the Messiah he’s just a very naughty boy.
Winks should keep a Low Profile, just like his Playing Style.