Hojbjerg masterclass as Tottenham beat Everton
Conte celebrated wildly last Saturday night when Spurs beat Everton 2 goals to nil. It was a potential banana skin that was dealt with by a solid team effort. It was probably the first time in Conte's tenure where the result was never in doubt really. It was 0-0 at half time but there were plenty of chances and the goal was coming then the second half Kane went down in the box and scored this penalty.
https://twitter.com/LastWordOnSpurs/status/1581767113051496449?s=20&t=xnqzjH2WhAKQjKf53MdgHg
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With Richarlison getting injured and no Kuluevski to replace him in the second half it made Conte change his formation by bringing on a third midfielder in Bissouma. This changed the game completely and it freed up Hojbjerg to push up more and as a result he ended up getting the second goal for Spurs. Hojbjerg was immense. He has been the whole season. Some elements of the fans do not like Hojbjerg as they do not think he is polished enough but I do not think these fans are real football fans in the first place. 1st of all. The Dane whips in crosses that you would not see De Bruyne try. Secondly Hojbjerg is much better on the ball than many people give him credit for. Mourinho once described him as always asking questions. He said he would be a coach some day because he wants to know the reasons for some training set ups. I would imagine he is a dream to Conte and vice versa. Given the absolute detail that Conte is working at, I think Hojbjerg is soaking it up and becoming a better player as a result. So much so that Real Madrid are watching the midfielder. When they come watching it is time to take notice of what a job he is actually doing.
https://twitter.com/YorkyYid/status/1581363082990735360?s=20&t=xnqzjH2WhAKQjKf53MdgHg
Hojbjerg and Bentancur are the second partnership at Tottenham that are nearly as important as Son and Kane at the moment. Bentancur the silky defensive midfielder who is not afraid of a tackle and Hojbjerg the hard worker who would runs all day. Conte needs two work horses in midfield given the system he plays. In most games they are outnumbered 3 against 2 and this is why fans sometimes moan about Hojbjerg. But it is not the player but the system. But Conte is happy with the midfielder and he told reporters just that when asked. Originally Bissouma was bought to come in and replace the Dane but for now this is not happening because the partnership is so good. The extra place now in the squad is if they change formation. I expect this formation to be used at Man United on Wednesday evening as it is doubtful that Richarlison who left the stadium on crutches will be back. But it looked like it worked last Saturday as Bissouma played his first good game for Spurs.
https://twitter.com/LastWordOnSpurs/status/1581963281165864961?s=20&t=xnqzjH2WhAKQjKf53MdgHg
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Matthew Doherty was another inclusion last Saturday as Royal is still suspended after his red card against Arsenal. Doherty played very well and Conte gave him a big hug coming off the pitch which made the wing back smile. He was criticized heavily a couple of weeks ago by Conte. Conte said he was not the same Matt Doherty as he was last season. Doherty showed against Everton that he was back. He is a much better player than Emerson Royal so I hope this is it now and he cements his place for the United game.
https://twitter.com/LastWordOnSpurs/status/1581907128654082048?s=20&t=xnqzjH2WhAKQjKf53MdgHg
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With all Conte's talk about needing to rotate his squad, he doesn't do it much. Injuries have made him change some positions but most of his first team you can name. With the exception of a few positions. RWB, RW and LCB. Every other position is pretty much cemented down. He did give Spence his first premiership start on Saturday night very late on and Moura was also introduced but the game was well won at this stage and Conte did not want a repeat of Frankfurt last week. He took off Bentancur and Hojbjerg last week in Europe and Spurs were lucky to hold on. It was then the fans realised that these two Central Midfielders are crucial to our success.
Spurs are close to agreeing naming rights with Google on their new stadium which will be a lucrative deal for both parties it is to be believed. I quite like Google so I am OK with that partnership. This will be announced soon. With the world cup around the corner Richarlison faces a race against time to be fit for the world cup. He was seen leaving the stadium on crutches which is not good so hopefully he will be alright or Brazil will have to rely on that failed Man City number 9. I forget who he went to.
And in other news
The league is not over yet Arsenal fans. You will implode. You always do!!
https://twitter.com/DayssinceArse/status/1580065489115484162?s=20&t=xnqzjH2WhAKQjKf53MdgHg
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Another master class from Conte and his boys, Spurs are looking solid and might still surprise us in the coming weeks. I hope Richarlison recovers soon and gets back to the squad.
Conte said today that its not that serious and he will make the world Cup. I bet many players will be watching themselves from here on in
That's great news, I just hope Messi stays fit till the world cup begins 😩😩
I would say Messi will take it easy coming up to it. This is the last major honour he needs. He may be 'injured" this week.
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I was always a fan of Hojberg since he was playing at Bayern. A real powerhouse in my opinion :)
It's funny. Not many people know Pepe had tipped him to be the next Busquets. His father died while he was at Bayern and it affected his performances
Yeah I remeber this story and how Pep was crying with him when they were both at Bayern :(
Hojberg is truly one of the most underrated midfielders in the league, perhaps because his rough outlook betrays his intelligence. I've watched him a couple of times and his work on the ball isn't appreciated enough. Maybe if there was no Bentancur giving the stereotypical belief of a silk playmaker, then Hojberg would've been appreciated more.
As for Richarlison, Brazil have enough cover for him and wouldn't miss him that much!
True . Brazil are looking good for this world Cup .
Tottenham Hotspur deserved the win as they outclassed Everton. Generally, Spurs look formidable and I expect more good results from them in the coming weeks.
United tonight Tom. Hopefully you are right
Let's watch and see how that will end
Conte doesn't rotate his team much, i can remember the year he did so well at Chelsea, he fielded almost same first 11 every week
Yeah he didn't change it . Although he did change formation after a defeat by Arsenal and that was it.