Tottenham Hotspur have a new man in charge with Antonio Conte joining to try and lift the club up the table. Nuno Santo failed to deliver what was required, but what are the realistic expectations for Conte this season and beyond, assuming he stays at the club long term?
From regular top four challengers just a few years ago, Tottenham are no longer seen as one of the big four clubs in the Premier League. The betting odds show that the bookmakers certainly don’t expect them to challenge for that this season. Spurs are 7/1 to finish inside the top four, while the Premier League betting odds for a top six finish of 5/4 offer a much more realistic projection of where the club can finish this season.
Can Conte get them into the top six and is there anything else he should be aiming for this season?
Can Tottenham Finish Inside the Top Six?
Harry Kane has forever been an important piece of this Tottenham team, but this season more than ever, he could well decide their top six hopes. Can Tottenham finish in the top six with Harry Kane not firing? Certainly not. However, does a fit and firing Kane give them hope? He does.
After declaring he wanted to stay at Tottenham, we haven’t seen anything like Kane’s best, and Conte’s biggest task at Spurs will be to try and get that out of him. If the club isn’t going to receive the cash for him leaving, they need to utilise what he offers the team, and that is goals.
Get these from him, and while the top six is still no formality, at least Tottenham will be in the running for a place, rather than being firmly on the outside looking in and likely struggling to score enough goals.
Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, Antonio Conte. pic.twitter.com/3faSqLW38g
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 2, 2021
Should Conte Target the Europa Conference League?
There has been a lot of talk about Tottenham’s last trophy, and this is often the cause for many jokes from opposing fans. You have to go all the way back to 2008 to find the last time that Tottenham won a trophy, something that Conte should be looking to put right.
His best option for this has to be the Europa Conference League, a competition where Tottenham standout as being the biggest team in it. With the third placed clubs from the Europa League being added, unless there are upsets, this will remain the same for the entire length of the competition.
Although playing on Thursday is awkward, and the temptation to prioritise the Premier League is strong, Tottenham have to find a way to win a trophy and get that monkey off their back. The Europa Conference League gives them the best chance to do that, and for that reason, Antonio Conte should be looking to make this competition a big focus point and try to win it.
