Antonio Conte says Tottenham will not “change what we know” for Sunday’s visit of Leicester, despite their disappointing performances against Brighton and Brentford in the last two matches..
Arsenal had put the pressure on their north London rivals with wins against both Chelsea and Manchester United to lift themselves into fourth spot with Tottenham skipper Harry Kane reiterating that Tottenham need to win the last five matches to pip Arsenal in the race of Premier League top four.
After disappointing performances against Brighton and Brentford in the last two matches, Antonio Conte 3-4-3 has come under a lot of criticism in the past week for lacking a Plan B with Spurs unstuck in their last two games against teams who have sat behind the ball and not allowed their front three space to attack, resulting in zero shots on target.
However, Conte is determined to stick with his 3-4-3 formation, despite injuries to wing-backs Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon.
He said: ‘Now we have Emerson (Royal) and (Ryan) Sessegnon available. I think that during the game (Dejan) Kulusevski can play in that position. I think the best solution is not to change what we know, what we are doing for seven months.
“With this formation, we know the way to play, this formation gives us great satisfaction. But if something else happens – I hope not – from now until the end, I for sure am forced to change something and find another solution.”
Since arriving at Spurs, Conte has deployed the same broad tactical strategy used throughout his career.
He is using a 3-4-3 formation that starts in a relatively low block, with pressing minimal in the opposition third but a sharp transitions built from deeper areas of the pitch, with the ball played vertically through the lines in pre-set patterns drilled robotically in training.
But, The injury of reborn Irishman Matt Doherty who suffered a season ending injury in Tottenham 4-0 victory over Aston Villa, has made it difficult for Tottenham to distributing those forward and move the ball quickly to the attackers.
Tottenham host distracted Leicester side on Sunday, and with a trip to Anfield next up and a potential showdown with Arsenal at home, anything less than victory against a Leicester could prove terminal to Tottenham’s top four hopes.