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Tottenham: 5 things Antonio Conte has learned during preseason

By Rucker Haringey

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 23: Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte waves to fans after the Pre-Season Friendly between Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur at Ibrox Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 23: Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte waves to fans after the Pre-Season Friendly between Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur at Ibrox Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham Hotspur’s Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma controls the ball during the friendly football match between Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow on July 23, 2022. /

3. The midfield depth chart is jumbled

Conte needs a highly-effective midfield pairing to make his patented tactical system work. That’s why Tottenham made the shrewd move to pry Yves Bissouma away from Brighton early in the transfer window.

Contracting COVID-19 during the trip to Korea delayed Bissouma’s ability to assimilate into the first-team alignment. He did play meaningful minutes against Rangers and acquitted himself reasonably well.

If Bissouma wants to be one of Conte’s first choice pairing he needs to knock either Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Rodrigo Bentancur out of their place. That says nothing about Oliver Skipp’s ability to return from injury and reclaim his spot in the starting XI.

The upside for Tottenham is that they have four legitimate central midfielders they can comfortably start against any opponent. The challenge for Conte is to find the right combinations to really make his team play at a high level. It could be a storyline that extends will into the regular season for the club’s hierarchy. Options can be both a blessing and a curse.

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