Questions about Tottenham heading into the regular season
By Aaron Coe
Following a busy pre-season that delivered plenty in preparation, there are some unanswered questions about Tottenham Hotspur and the season ahead.
If nothing else, Tottenham Hotspur should emerge from pre-season with a good understanding of who will be whose travel buddy. After playing games in South Korea, Scotland, and Israel across a busy four-game schedule, Tottenham Hotspur should be used to traveling.
We know that between flights and games, Spurs got their players in, and Conte prepared his team hard, so fitness is not a question heading into the season. However, questions remain as the team prepares to face Southampton in the Premier League opener on Saturday. Here are three big questions Spurs still need to answer.
Does Tottenham have the wing-backs to make Conte’s system soar?
At the end of last season, there were a few positions that were obvious targets for upgrades under Antonio Conte. One position that seemed destined for major change was the wing-back position on both the left and the right. And while a new player has been signed for both sides, you have to wonder if Tottenham has the talent to make the attack click.
Ivan Perisic seems like a slam dunk signing and should add creativity and directness to the attack. A consummate professional, Perisic is ideal for other players to learn from. Perisic is 33 and will not feature 45 times for the team despite being in fantastic shape.
Ryan Sessegnon has had some moments during pre-season, but across three starts, Sessegnon did little to convince us that he is a long-term option on the left, and we never saw Sergio Reguilon.
On the right side, the team signed Djed Spence, but the young wide man does not seem likely to start anytime soon, with Conte preferring more experienced options in pre-season.
Maybe Spence matures, Matt Doherty gets healthy, and Emerson Royal improves. Absent those three occurrences, Tottenham may be short on the right side; only time will tell.
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