Tottenham Hotspur sit third in the Premier League table and remain unbeaten in the competition as clubs pause for the international break so it seems the perfect time to rate the progress of the players and Antonio Conte.
Spurs are yet to hit their top gear but find themselves just a point off the top of the Premier League and having scored more goals than everyone bar Manchester City. Nobody has been able to overcome Conte's men yet in the league and the only defeat this season has come in their second match in the Champions League against Sporting CP.
It's time to dish out our ratings for the players and for Conte. It's worth noting that our ratings are based on those individual players' expectations for the season due to the previous standards they have set for themselves, rather than being a tool to compare them against their various team-mates.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte's contract situation with Tottenham explained and how it affects Juventus links
We've looked at every single player who has played a minute for Tottenham's first team this season. This early in the season, that means that players like Oliver Skipp, Bryan Gil, Pape Matar Sarr, Fraser Forster, Harvey White and Brandon Austin do not feature as they have yet to step on to the pitch for a variety of reasons.
For those who have managed just a few minutes on the pitch, we've not rated them but instead spoken about their performance and prospects. Let's start with the goalkeeper and captain.
Hugo Lloris
Other than a shaky game against West Ham with some poor kicking, Lloris has got better and better as the season has worn on, with some top drawer saves in the matches against Sporting and Leicester. Spurs will be hoping the small thigh injury that has kept him out of France's two matches this fortnight is no more than that. 8.5
Emerson Royal
The Brazilian has benefited from Matt Doherty's injury recovery period to become Conte's starting right wing-back in all but the Leicester match. His attacking limitations remain, adding just one assist to his one from last season, and he struggled against Sporting at both ends of the pitch, but on the whole defensively he has been solid as always. By his standards, especially when he seemed to be heading out of the door in the summer, it's been a positive start to the campaign and he has improved. 7
Matt Doherty
The Irishman had worked hard last season to become Conte's first choice right wing-back at Spurs only for a serious knee injury - rupturing his medial collateral ligament against Aston Villa - to end his campaign early. Doherty admitted during pre-season that he was still feeling his way back from the injury with some pain in his knee and his game time has been limited to just eight minutes since, with late substitute appearances in one Premier League game and one Champions League match. N/A
Djed Spence
At the bottom of the pecking order at the moment with just one minute to his name late on against his former loan club Nottingham Forest. Conte made it clear that he was a club signing but one he believes can become an important player one day. Spence needs to grab any opportunity he can to show that he's ready now. N/A
Eric Dier
Dier has started the season well and earned himself a return to the England team. Conte believes in him and says he is one of the Premier League's best defenders. He's asked that Dier continues to improve and score more goals from set pieces, which he's already obliged with, heading in two goals in his seven league games so far. 8.5
Davinson Sanchez
The Colombian had a strong start to the campaign and continued his run of clean sheets from the final three matches of last season with good performances against Wolves and Nottingham Forest. He struggled against Leicester at times but he's proved once again that he's a solid option when Romero is injured. 7
Cristian Romero
Romero started the season brightly against Southampton but after picking up an injury against Chelsea, he missed three weeks and then returned looking a little bit rusty. He will vastly improve as the campaign progresses but by his own standards so far he hasn't quite hit his mark yet which is why his mark is lower than normal. 7
Japhet Tanganga
A move to AC Milan looked close in the summer but Spurs never ended up agreeing to the move. Just 17 minutes to his name against Marseille in the Champions League so far as he covers the back three. Very little time to judge him so far and he will want that to change. N/A
Ben Davies
The Welshman has competition now in Clement Lenglet but he's continued to be a consistent presence for Conte in the backline. Got an assist to his name from the back and remains a player the Spurs boss can count on, with few mistakes to his name. 8
Clement Lenglet
Some promising displays across his four appearances as he gets used to the Conte style. His crisp passing with that left foot is going to be an extra weapon from the back for Tottenham. 7.5
Ryan Sessegnon
Conte has high hopes for Sessegnon and he's continued his run from the end of last season with six appearances in nine matches this time around, getting on the scoresheet as well. He's got a great mentor now in Perisic and Conte even played both of them against Leicester. A good foundation to build on for the 22-year-old who has built up confidence in his ability to play top flight football and in his body after so many hamstring problems in recent years. 7.5
Ivan Perisic
He took a little while to warm up but the experienced Croatian has already proved to be an astute free transfer for Spurs. Perisic has got four assists already in nine matches and his crosses and corners provide extra danger to Tottenham's attack. He has the best cross success rate (48.3%) in the league this season. Still understandably some adjustments are needed to handle the pace of the English game when defending but it's been a very promising start to life in the Premier League. 8.5
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
The Dane, who has just been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month for September, can split opinion among some in the Spurs' fanbase but Conte is delighted with him and believes he's made big strides under him. With two clinical goals and two assists, Hojbjerg is also improving his attacking output. 8.5
Yves Bissouma
Seven appearances so far for Tottenham but just the one start against West Ham, which brought a sub-par performance hampered by a daft early booking. However, he impressed with his 20 minute cameo from the bench against Leicester and it was well-timed after Conte had said he was struggling to adapt quickly to the tactical aspect of his instructions and needed to improve his defending. The Mali international will get better and better in the weeks ahead. 6
Rodrigo Bentancur
The Uruguayan has carried on where he's left off with his performances in the centre of the pitch. The odd risky pass gets cut out but mostly Bentancur is a calming presence in the midfield and his team-mates trust him with the ball in tight situations. The three-time Serie A winner is continuing to adapt to the Premier League and his first goal for the club, which came against Leicester with an assist to boot, showed off the best parts of his game. 8.5
Lucas Moura
Just the 12 minutes of action for the Brazilian in the first two Premier League games before a calf injury which meant he hasn't been seen since in a matchday squad. N/A
Dejan Kulusevski
One goal and three assists means the Swede has now had 17 goal involvements in 25 Premier League matches with 11 assists and six goals. Very unfortunate to be dropped to the bench for three games in a row and Conte admitted he broke his own rule by explaining his decision to the player. You can easily forget he's just 22-years-old. 8
Richarlison
Has made an impact at the club, quickly taking on what Conte wants from him and becoming a popular member of the squad. He's already bagged two goals and two assists in his eight appearances, his two headed goals on his Champions League debut crucial for Spurs and emotional for him. Started the past four matches and he's going to get plenty of game time this season. 8
Son Heung-min
After last season's brilliant campaign, sharing the Golden Boot with 23 goals with Mohamed Salah, Son admits he's had a tough time of it this season. He registered an assist in the first game against Southampton in August but then didn't contribute directly to a goal until his wonderful hat-trick against Leicester at the weekend. Son said his finishing has been "poor" and that he felt he had "disappointed his team-mates and the fans" but although he's been well below his normal levels, he's got more than enough credit in the bank with everyone. Hopefully that hat-trick is the spark that ignites his season. It's a low mark for the first nine games, but only because by Son's standards it's been nowhere near his usual high level. 6.5
Harry Kane
After the sluggish start to last season, Kane's raced out of the blocks in front of goal this time with six Premier League goals in his past six matches, with an assist for Son against Leicester to boot. What bodes well for the England captain is that he hasn't actually reached his top levels yet. If he can steer clear of injury, this could be a very productive and record-breaking season. For most players six goals in six games would get a higher rating, but Kane can be much better. 8
And the manager
Antonio Conte
The Conte impact continues with Spurs unbeaten in the Premier League, a point off the top and with the second most goals scored in the competition. In fact, if you take 2022 as a whole Tottenham would be third in that table so far, only two points behind Manchester City and Liverpool, having outscored all but the former. For reference in the 2021 calendar table they were seventh, a huge 44 points behind City.
The fans will have the odd gripe, like the Italian's occasional disinterest in using substitutes, his gradual introduction of some new players like Bissouma and Spence, but it's difficult to argue with the results he has been getting. Some might question the style of play when the system falters down the wings - where much of its creativity comes - but those goal tallies show Spurs hit the net repeatedly.
He also got Tottenham to change their transfer ways with six arrivals before the third pre-season match had been played, very different to the late dealing of previous windows. Conte is changing Spurs for the better inside and if the club buys into it then they will go places. 8.5
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