Conte, Tottenham hoping third break is the charm for Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur has struggled following the two previous international breaks but will be hoping for better returns under new coach Antonio Conte.

At the start of the first international break, Tottenham Hotspur was unbeaten and then head coach Nuno Espirito Santo won Premier League manager of the month. However, that international break turned into a nightmare for Spurs as several players were injured and their South American contingent had to miss significant time due to Covid travel restrictions. As we all know, Spurs went on to lose three straight in the league following that first break as the wheels began to fall off for Santo and company.

After the second international break, Tottenham did manage a 2-3 road win over Newcastle – who were amped up under new ownership. The good feelings were short-lived as Spurs fell 1-0 at Vitesse in the Europa Conference League just days later. That loss was followed by a 1-0 loss at West Ham. A 0-1 win over Burnley did little to resurrect the team who were embarrassed 0-3 at home by Manchester United in Santo’s final game in charge as he was sacked the next day.

Antonio Conte’s appointment and then a Conference League win followed by a tough point a Goodison Park versus Everton, temporarily halted the decline as the third international break hit the season. Now with international duty wrapped up and players all returning, the question is will a different Tottenham emerge from this lull in the season?

Tottenham need to make a run to save the season

At this point is not hyperbole to say the season is really at stake for Tottenham as they return from another break. Over eight days, Spurs play three must-win games to stay afloat in the Premier League top-four race and to have any real chance of advancing in Europe.

Two winnable Premier League fixtures

Tottenham plays two difficult but very much winnable games over the next two Sundays. First, Spurs host Leeds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. Leeds are currently five points and six places in the table behind Spurs in 15th. Having lost Patrick Bamford to injury earlier in the season, Leeds has struggled to score managing only 11goals. With the same -7 goal difference as Tottenham, Leeds has been conceding plenty and represents a very winnable match.

Tottenham follows that with a second trip to Burnley this season after beating the Clarets in the Carabao Cup. Burnley is currently in the relegation zone with only eight points from 11 matches on the season. Sure, Burnley is Burnley but Tottenham should be able to win both matches if they are going to do anything this season.

Spurs have an important European road trip

Inbetween the Leeds and Burnley matches, Tottenham travel over 1,500 kilometers to Slovenia to face NS Mura. Presumably, the easiest of the road matches for Tottenham in the group – having dispatched Mura 5-1 at home – Tottenham needs the win to stay within striking distance of Rennes for first place in the group. Spurs are three points behind Rennes but have a superior goal difference and still have the home match against the French team later in December.

If Tottenham can win those three matches – regardless of what anyone else does in either competition – they can keep their dreams alive. However, a loss in any of those three matches could leave Spurs gasping for air on some major targets.

The team that returned from the previous two breaks would not win all three matches but under Conte, we would like to think this will be a different Tottenham team. Based on what we have seen from Harry Kane for England, anything is possible. Whichever way things go we will know a lot more about what is possible in Spurs season two Sundays from now.