Tottenham will be back in action this weekend with a trip to Ibrox on the agenda. Fresh from taking on Team K League and Sevilla in South Korea, Antonio Conte's men face another tough test up against Scottish giants Rangers.
Rotating his team over the past week to give all of his squad a good amount of minutes on the pitch, the head coach will be looking to do likewise north of the border as they step up their preparations ahead of the new campaign. The match will also give Conte the ideal opportunity to blood a number of his new signings, with Fraser Forster, Clement Lenglet, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma not involved at all in South Korea.
Following their match against Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men, Spurs travel to Israel a week later when they take on Jose Mourinho's Roma. With two friendlies to come before the Premier League opener, we take a look at what Conte needs to discover over the next fortnight.
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Take a closer look at new signings
Unfortunately Conte was only able to take a good look at Richarlison out in South Korea with three of the club's summer additions not available and Lenglet not making the trip. The Brazilian slotted straight into Spurs' frontline and did well in his two appearances, with a goal the only thing missing for him.
Positive Covid tests left the boss without Bissouma and Forster for the two games but the duo will be back at Hotspur Way on Wednesday and pushing for playing time at Ibrox. Perisic also didn't feature in South Korea due to the calf issue he sustained in May, although he is now back doing ball work with the team and Conte has admitted he's looking to play him in Glasgow.
Lenglet will also be able to join in with his new teammates over the coming days after remaining at Hotspur Way last week due to not having the necessary documentation to travel to Korea having only signed a day before their departure. There's also Djed Spence to factor into his plans, although Spurs have yet to officially confirm his move from Middlesbrough.
The Spurs squad were made to work extremely hard on their pre-season tour and there will be not any let up for the new signings who missed out. Conte needs everyone at the same level of fitness for the new term, so the new additions could be in for a very tough few days ahead of the Rangers match.
Try out different midfield partnerships
The summer arrival of Bissouma gives Conte and Spurs something very exciting going into the new season. Already helping the midfield hit new heights with Rodrigo Bentancur making the move from Juventus in January, the signing of the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion ace again takes the position up another level following a couple of standout seasons in the Premier League with the Seagulls.
Conte also has Oliver Skipp back to full fitness after a lengthy absence, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rediscovered his best form in the final few months of 2021/22 and produced some outstanding performances to help Spurs secure fourth. The boss has four excellent options in midfield and it's not exactly clear yet who will be his first-choice pairing.
The next two friendlies do give Conte the ideal opportunity to try out different partnerships in midfield, with the quartet all likely to get 45 minutes in each game. Already knowing how well Hojbjerg plays with Skipp and Bentancur, he now needs to see the latter pair for a good period of time and then each of the aforementioned trio with Bissouma.
Spurs' qualification for the Champions League may mean that two of his midfielders play in the competition before the other two then play in the Premier League. The good thing is that he has four fantastic options at his disposal and that is only going to bode well for the club.
Make wing-back choices
Another area where Conte is spoilt for choice is in the wing-back positions. Ryan Sessegnon and Perisic look set to compete for a starting spot on the left with an exit for Sergio Reguilon on the cards, while Spence's imminent arrival may push one of Matt Doherty or Emerson Royal towards the exit door.
Conte also has the added luxury of playing Lucas Moura at right wing-back, utilising the Brazilian there in both friendlies in South Korea. Not looking out of place in the games, the 52-year-old may want to look at giving his man more minutes at wing-back in their final two friendlies to allow him to adapt to the role.
The next two games will be key to Conte deciding who his starters will be in the Premier League opener against Southampton. Perisic and Spence may look to be the favourites to start there in the months ahead but the options available to Conte may not mean that is the case on the first day.
Give Richarlison time in central role
Playing as a striker in the first 45 minutes against Team K League, Richarlison has since played on the right of a front three for Spurs. One thing the ex-Everton man does give Conte is options, with his versatility set to come in very handy for the Lilywhites over the course of the campaign.
Linking up well with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min when deployed alongside them, it may be wise for Richarlison to get minutes in the central role in the final two friendlies. Having experience in the position having played there for Everton, what the 25-year-old now needs to do is build up an understanding with the likes of Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas, who are contenders to play either side of him.
That is only going to come from playing next to them, which is likely to happen at various points in the season as Kane is going to need a breather at some point. While of course they could instantly click, having that experience together in the remaining two friendlies will only help them in the long run.
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