Tottenham's 3-1 victory against West Ham on Sunday was a result of solid individual performances and a good overall team display from Antonio Conte's side. It meant Spurs have now ended their almost perfect win-lose trend that they had inadvertently created in 2022 and secured them a much needed three points in the top four race.
After the win, the Italian praised his side for the display and highlighted the ambition he continues to has, the longer he works with his new side.
"You know very well that I like to fight, I like to fight to win and to win in this case, to win a Premier League. I like to fight to be competitive, to have the possibility to fight and then you know very well only one team is able to win but I think that my past gives me the chance and also I think I deserve to have this chance to fight to win," he said in his post-match press conference.
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"Now I am enjoying a lot the work I am doing with these players, with Tottenham because for sure I have taken in this moment a level lower than the top team that there are in this league, but I’m enjoying a lot to see the improvement and today, honestly, I asked my players I want to enjoy seeing you play football and now I am seeing we are a really good team. Now I am ready to play every game and to play against every opponent and I’m sure that today is a very difficult to play against us."
From the start of the season there has been an issue of creativity from Spurs, most notably from the middle of the field. Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp had created a good partnership in those roles, but there was still something missing and there didn't seem to be that link between the defensive and offensive play.
As the January transfer window approached, a central midfielder became one of the three priorities for Conte, with a right wing-back and second striker the other two. A midfielder was the only one of the three targeted positions fulfilled, with the arrival of Rodrigo Bentancur.
Skipp has been a big loss for Spurs, as he has now been out for a couple of months with injury issues. In his pre match press conference ahead of the match against West Ham, Conte provided an update on the 21-year-old's return.
"About Skippy, I hope to have him after the international break. His pain it seems is getting better and better," Conte said. In Skipp's absence and with Harry Winks not making the required impact when given the opportunity, it has been Hojbjerg playing alongside the new arrival.
The Dane has faced criticism this season for his inconsistent performances, much like a number of the Tottenham players, losing the ball on a number of occasions throughout games. However, in the last couple of matches, there has been an improvement in his displays and the 26-year-old seems to be building a more comfortable relationship alongside the Uruguayan.
Bentancur has been in north London less than two months but has made an immediate positive impact on the squad, which is just what Conte needed from his new arrivals. The West Ham game on Sunday reiterated his ability with his 94.8 per cent passing accuracy, two key tackles and shot at goal, highlighting his impact at both ends of the field.
After Spurs' 2-0 victory against Brighton during the week, the Italian praised the midfielders solid start. "I said to you after these two signings now we are more complete, especially in midfield because we lost Skipp for two/three months in this moment. We needed to have a player like Rodrigo," he added.
On Match of the Day 2 on Sunday night, former Spurs player Danny Murphy spoke about the new found partnership and how it is working so well. "This partnership in midfield that Tottenham have got now is blossoming. It's well-balanced, they seem to be raising each other's games," Murphy explained.
"Both playing productive through those lines, caused West Ham a real problem. When you play one holding player it becomes a bit predictable. When you've got two who drop in, then the midfield you're playing against doesn't know whether to come in and it took West Ham until the second half to sort it out."
The duo were the top two for the most touches and accurate passes in the match. Bentancur made just shy of 90 accurate passes and the former midfielder highlighted his key qualities.
"This guys [Bentancur] elegant, he's classy, he makes the game look easy and he plays the ball forward more often than not and quickly and that's what you want, that's really what you need," Murphy said. "You notice the distances between each other, that's deliberate, that's worked upon, they've always got each other as an option and it caused West Ham problems."
The duo are adding some much needed creativity in the middle of the field and Hojbjerg seems to be returning to his better form, alongside the 24-year-old. They are both helping link the defensive and offensive play too, another key feature that was missing from Tottenham's performances at the start of the season.
With a strong back line of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies and Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski also making the required impact in the final third, Bentancur and Hojbjerg's bond in the middle is crucial to help at both ends of the field. If they are able to come back from the international break and continue that partnership, it could serve Conte with a selection dilemma.
Skipp had been a crucial part of the Tottenham XI before his injury and football.london understands that discussions over a new deal for the 21-year-old are nearing a positive conclusion. Many fans have been looking forward to his return so that he can slot in next to Bentancur and create a solid midfield partnership for Conte.
However, if Hojbjerg can continue improving and strengthen his partnership with the ex-Juventus player, what will that mean for Skipp? The youngster is likely to need time to build his match fitness back up once he recovers from his injury, so may have had to wait before he could be given regular game time anyway.
The Dane will feel he deserves to keep his spot in the regular starting line-up if he produces consistently solid performances and this may leave Skipp sidelined more often than was initially expected. This would also push Winks even further down the pecking order, leaving questions over what his future at Tottenham holds.
Hojbjerg will need to continue his hard work to ensure he has made a strong enough case to keep his spot in Conte's strongest XI, once Skipp does return. The Italian will also hope Bentancur's solid start will continue and the midfield bond only grows stronger in the final couple of months of the season, whoever the regular chosen duo are.
