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Tottenham Hotspur began life anew last weekend under Antonio Conte, but the Italian's stint did not begin with immediate joy. Tottenham were held to a goalless draw away from home by Everton at Goodison Park in a game that did not see many sparks.
It is never easy for a manager coming in midway through a season to a new team and get them to dance to his tune right out of the gates. Conte will need a full preseason with Tottenham to bring out the best in them, at least a winter transfer window for that matter.
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Nevertheless, even in this game, there was an air of change about the Tottenham Hotspur side. On that note, here are four observations from Antonio Conte's first game in charge of his new side:
#1 Change in formation
Everyone was expecting this as soon as it was announced that the former Chelsea man would be taking over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur. It is a well-known fact that Conte prefers a three-at-the-back approach and make use of wing-backs to attack from the wings.
He did that at Chelsea, making them adopt the 3-4-3 formation, and he did it at Internazionale, with a 3-5-2 attack. That is exactly what Conte has done to the Tottenham Hotspur team too, switching them to a 3-4-2-1 formation.
The change in formation came with moving people around. Davies was moved from left-back to left centre-back. Davies-Dier-Romero played at the back with the wing-backs flanking them.
#2 Change in personnel
Conte places a lot of trust in the centre-backs he employs in defence, and he likes to have the wing-backs fully involved in attacking. Moreover, his teams are renowned for working very hard, meaning every player has to fall back and defend when required.
Serge Reguilon made it into his team as a left wing-back at the expense of Lo Celso in midfield. Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg continued as the defending central midfielders, flanked on the right by Emerson.
Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min continued as the attacking midfielders, but were more central behind Harry Kane. Rather than the duo running along the sidelines, it will be Emerson and Serge Reguilon who'll cross balls into the box.
#3 Change in approach
It was a little baffling to see Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy appoint Nuno Espirito Santo as the team's manager. That's because he had promising fans all through the summer that he wanted a manager who played attacking football.
Santo may not be as poor as his short stint at Spurs showed. and he may not be as good as his initial spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers promised. But he is not an attacking manager. He is more of a practical manager who can make use of limited resources to exceed expectations.
Tottenham Hotspur were always going to feel short-changed under him. But now with Conte, they have a manager who matches their vision. It is under Conte that Chelsea managed to equal the Premier League record for most consecutive wins. They also recorded home and away wins against 12 teams that season and the second-highest points tally in the league.
It is under Conte that Eden Hazard reached his full potential as a goalscorer. Pedro and Willian were never more threatening than they were under him. Diego Costa scored 20 goals in the Premier League season. Considering all these factors, Tottenham's attackers should benefit immensely from playing under Conte.
#4 Change in mentality
In football more than any other sport, mentality counts for a lot. The mentality in specific moments gets lumped in with the mentality of the past. Teams earn a reputation for being chokers despite none of their players having played the last time the team choked.
And no team has a bigger history of choking than Tottenham Hotspur when it comes to the Premier League. The London team has spent over 5000 days without a trophy under their belt, which is why they need someone like Conte to end that run.
More than a serial winner, Spurs now have a manager who is not afraid to take on the board and one who won't mince any words. They've got a manager who won't tolerate his players acting like divas. Conte is one who knows what winning feels like, and likes feeling that way.
Players like Harry Kane and Son need just that. They have played for too long without any quantifiable reward for that, and their frustration is starting to show. Maybe when they see their Conte meaning business, they might get a renewed sense of purpose.
