This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s The Breakdown series, where we analyse the deeper impacts of every fixture.
Conte’s silverware dream shattered…
Tottenham’s imperious 4-0 Premier League victory away to Leeds United at the weekend was the ultimate remedy to what was a tame defeat at Burnley beforehand.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
Following that convincing display, one which prompted manager Antonio Conte to shower plenty of praise on some members of the Spurs squad, the Lilywhites’ inconsistency was unfortunately laid bare again in the FA Cup last night.
The Italian’s side travelled to Championship promotion-chasers Middlesbrough as they aimed to maintain a run of form whilst also keeping their hopes of winning a trophy this season alive.
Alas, following a meticulously organised defensive display from the home side, young Boro forward Josh Coburn sank Conte’s silverware dream in extra time – holding off Cristian Romero to lash a brilliant effort into the top corner.
Tottenham’s two worst players statistically on the night (SofaScore), the recently rejuvenated duo of Harry Winks and Ryan Sessegnon, endured unconvincing displays – losing 13/20 of their total duels combined, coming in at an alarming 65%.
The latter man in particular will be disappointed after his phenomenal outing against Leeds and now we analyse what this could mean for the Spurs pair.
Ryan Sessegnon: Back down to Earth?
The wing-back’s dazzling display at Elland Road last weekend, one which drew much acclaim, has unfortunately been followed by what was an underwhelming outing on Teeside.
The 21-year-old finished just behind Winks as Tottenham’s second-lowest rated starting player according to SofaScore (6.4) as Conte opted to sub his left-back with just under 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Sessegnon cut a deeply isolated figure, even taking fewer touches than any Spurs starting player (42), including goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
He also gave the ball away on 12 occasions, won just 3/12 of his total duels and found a teammate with none of his crosses from out wide (SofaScore) – a far cry from his extremely effective display against Leeds just days ago.
As Conte searches for a degree of Spurs consistency, the ex-Inter boss may feel somewhat aggrieved by Sessegnon’s outing and it will be interesting to see whether he keeps his place ahead of Sergio Reguilon against Everton on Monday.
Described as the ‘perfect’ full-back by former Leeds forward Noel Whelan, Tottenham and Conte will be hoping this was just a small blip.
Harry Winks: Conte’s weak link?
Winks, after being heavily linked with a January move away from Spurs, worked his way back into Conte’s plans with the former Chelsea manager ultimately deciding he has a future in north London after-all.
In recent months, the Englishman has rewarded Tottenham’s faith with some fine displays, including an especially brilliant one in his first start under Conte near the end of last year.
Indeed, Winks’ performance in the 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool attracted real praise – with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher calling him Tottenham’s ‘main man’ against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.
Ex-Lilywhites shot-stopper Paul Robinson, who rates the 26-year-old and believe he is an ‘amazing player’, appeared to be redeemed in that opinion – but there could now be some question marks again surrounding Winks.
According to SofaScore, the Three Lions midfielder ranked in as Conte’s worst performer with a 6.2 match rating and endured what was a regrettable outing going by the numbers.
Winks failed to win a single duel over the FA Cup tie, losing all eight of them, whilst also being dribbled past more than any Spurs starting player on the night (SofaScore).
After coming in for unavailable January signing Rodrigo Bentancur, questions may now be asked whether the player has what it takes to be a reliable option for Conte.
In other news: Tottenham senior official dispatched as Conte enters pole position for ‘elite’ attacker, find out more here.
