Spurs kept their hopes of a top four finish alive with an emphatic mauling of Everton on Monday, with a huge game later today to give themselves a bigger boost.
They travel to Manchester to take on Man United and look to take points off their top four rivals in what feels like a crucial for Antonio Conte’s men.
His task will be made harder as he is still without Oliver Skipp for the clash up north, putting further stress on the midfield.
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Antonio Conte’s Worry?
Skipp has been missing for a few weeks, not being available for Spurs and Conte since January, providing the Italian with problems when picking his team. It’ll put more stress on the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
He’s already missed nine games with his groin injury and won’t be back in time for the trip to Old Trafford, minimising the options Spurs have with team selection and then impact from the bench.
Conte confirmed prior to the Everton clash that the midfielder was still yet to recover from the injury, and the prolonged absence will clearly be worrying the manager who needs as close to a full squad as possible in this crucial period.
Skipp has 28 appearances in all competitions so far, showing his importance to Conte’s side when he is fit and available for selection.
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Daniel Levy must act?
Spurs lost two midfielders in January in Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele, only replacing them with one through Bentancur, so before injuries, Conte has already seen his options in the middle of the pitch reduced. Whether he fancied either of the outgoing players or not, it’s always frustrating to be weakened in terms of numbers.
With being a man down before any injuries and suspensions, Conte will surely be frustrated, especially with the fact Skipp is still out with no clear return date scheduled for the young midfielder. Already being a man down, Conte’s task tonight is already harder than it could have been.
What it does do is it shows Daniel Levy what he has to do in the summer, not only to keep Conte happy, but to keep Spurs competitive. He needs to make signings in the summer window, strengthening in the midfield to make up for the depleted numbers.
In other news, Gleison Bremer targeted by Spurs