'Conte Has Improved Tottenham's Fitness Levels'
- Tottenham Hotspur face Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Wednesday (7:30pm GMT kick-off)
- Football London reporter Rob Guest has provided a lowdown on the north London side
- He believes the appointment of Antonio Conte has re-energised Spurs' European challenge
- Guest also discusses Tottenham's recent fortunes and the absence of Son Heung-min
Spurs visit King Power Stadium to tackle Leicester City on Wednesday in a rearranged Premier League clash which was originally scheduled for mid-December. Conte replaced Nuno Espírito Santo back in November and the two-time English champions are looking to climb the standings.
Like City, Spurs have suffered fixture disruption in 2022 due to COVID-19 and have only played one top-flight fixture in the New Year, beating Watford at Vicarage Road on 1 January courtesy of a last-ditch goal from Davinson Sánchez. They've encountered differing fortunes in cup competitions too.
"It’s been a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest, in January," Guest told LCFC Radio. "They won their last Premier League game away at Watford in stoppage time, but have since lost against Chelsea twice in the Carabao Cup. They beat Morecambe in the FA Cup, but they needed three late goals to go through.
"There’s quite a few injuries. Son [Heung-min] and [Eric] Dier are injured, Cristian Romero is working his way back to fitness. Spurs were probably in a better place a month ago, but it’s one of those things at the moment. A lot of the teams are in a similar situation and you’ve just got to get on with it."
Conte's appointment, though, has undoubtedly increased expectations in north London and the outfit will be looking to end a two-year spell without UEFA Champions League football. Spurs are currently sat in sixth place in the Premier League, four points adrift of the top four.
"He is a world-class manager and I don’t think there was many better managers Spurs could have appointed," Guest added.
"Results haven’t been great over the past few weeks but I don’t think they’ve lost in the Premier League yet, while still having those four games in hand to come over the remaining months of the season, which could prove pivotal in the top-four race. He’s made big changes.
"Fitness-wise, Spurs are so much better. When Nuno was manager, they were bottom of the Premier League table in terms of miles covered during a match, but under Conte I think they’ve been top. He’s made a big difference at Spurs and hopefully that will bode well over the coming months for them.
"They’ve not been in the Champions League for the past two seasons so I think they’ve got to qualify or get as close to that top-four place as they can. There’s also the FA Cup. They’ve got Brighton at home which you’d think, on paper, if they play as well as they can, then they can progress through.
"In terms of the league, the four games in hand could prove crucial now and you’ve got to say they’re all winnable games. It’s Burnley away, Brighton away, Arsenal, importantly on home soil, and then the one against Leicester on Wednesday. Leicester’s form has been mixed.
"It’s going to be a tough one at King Power Stadium. Fourth is there for the taking and if Spurs can win all four of those games, they’re going to be in a good place."
The absence of Son is undoubtedly a blow for Tottenham and while Guest believes it will present an opportunity for other players, Conte's men will naturally miss a player of the South Korea international's quality.
"He’s such a key player," the Football London reported explained. "The thing with Son is when he’s on his game, he’s absolutely fantastic. There’s been occasions when Harry Kane’s been injured and Son’s stepped up and they’ve not missed Kane as much. They definitely do miss Son.
"There has been some games where he’s not been at the top of his game, but he regularly chips in with goals and assists. His injury could present a chance for someone like Steven Bergwijn, or whether Giovani Lo Celso or Bryan Gil. One man’s loss is another man’s gain."