Rob Guest believes Tottenham manager Antonio Conte’s comments on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg following Spurs’ victory in the Premier League on Sunday are “extremely telling”.
This weekend, the Lilywhites were in stellar form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they dismantled Newcastle United. The visitors took the lead through Fabian Schar, but goals from Ben Davies, Matt Doherty, Son Heung-min, Emerson Royal and Steven Bergwijn secured a vital three points for the north London outfit as they continue their pursuit of a Champions League qualification spot.
Is Hojbjerg one of Tottenham's best players?
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After the match, Conte spoke to the press and praised Hojbjerg despite not being asked a question about the midfielder. Spurs reporter Guest picked up on the quotes, stating on Twitter: “Antonio Conte just had to name his player in extremely telling press conference moment.”
TIF Thoughts on Conte’s Hojbjerg comments
Indeed, it is worth analysing Conte’s comments on the £36m-valued Denmark international. The Italian had initially been asked about Harry Kane, but ended up heavily praising Hojbjerg. He said: “Also Pierre, no one asked me about him, but I think in every game he is doing a fantastic job, with the ball, without the ball, strong physically.”
The 26-year-old has suffered plenty of criticism during his time at Tottenham, with club insider John Wenham even coming out in the player’s defence earlier this year. Against Newcastle, though, there were signs of what he does best, with him completing 93% of the passes he attempted and losing possession on just seven occasions throughout the 90 minutes.
Hojbjerg is a vocal leader who offers bite in the middle of the park. For example, only Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal have averaged more than his 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League amongst Spurs’ squad this term, and he also ranks fourth in terms of interceptions. It is a testament to his ability that he has started all but two league clashes since Conte’s arrival, and has now formed a strong understanding with Rodrigo Bentancur since the Uruguayan’s switch from Juventus in January.
The likes of Kane and Son are always going to grab the headlines, but it is clear Conte sees Hojbjerg as one of his most important players. The former Southampton man has a big part to play if Tottenham are to reach their objectives this term.