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Emma de Duve

Spence shows skill, Sanchez stops Kane - Three things spotted in Tottenham training

Tottenham's next match is against Nottingham Forest, who have so far won one, drawn one and lost one of their first three games, after their promotion to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Antonio Conte's side currently sit fourth, after winning two and drawing one of their initial games.

Spurs' next match is their first of the 2022/23 campaign against a newly promoted side. The Lilywhites make a trip to the east Midlands on Sunday to play Steve Cooper's side and it won't be an easy clash, with Forest making 16 new signings this summer.

Ahead of the fixture, Conte spoke to the media and was asked about his excitement of playing Forest and his thoughts on them. "Forest started the season very well. I think it's good, nice to have Nottingham Forest in the Premier League because we're talking about a club with a great history," he admitted.

READ MORE: Every word Antonio Conte said on Romero injury, transfers, Son's form and his talk with Paratici

"I've seen there's a great enthusiasm, great atmosphere, my expectation is to play around a lot of noise. But we're working well and preparing well. We know the game will be difficult. We have to go into the game with the right mind and try to do our best."

The Italian was then asked about the business Tottenham's next opponents have done and whether he thinks it makes their preparation more difficult. "Honestly, I don't like to speak about other clubs and the way they go and try to work," he explained.

"Every club tries to work in the best possible way. I think Nottingham Forest did a great transfer market and to have a lot of signings can help them. For sure they want to keep in the Premier League and this is very clear.

"I think the owner is really strong and yeah... we're talking about a really good team. [Jesse] Lingard now is playing there and the whole team is really good," Conte added.

However, the focus for the 53-year-old will be ensuring his side are in the best possible form for Sunday's fixture. Conte will be without Cristian Romero and Oliver Skipp, with Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil also still needing to be assessed.

Ahead of the upcoming game, football.london takes a look at things spotted in training, with Gil spotted but Moura missing.

Strength in numbers

The start of the training clip showed the Tottenham squad indoors and Conte's players were working hard in the gym, on a lot of strength work. Some were working on their upper body strength, whilst others were concentrating more on their lower body.

With a lot of the exercises, the Spurs players seemed to be in pairs and the teammate waiting for their turn, was watching intently. Not only does this show the importance of having a strong physique for the Premier League, it also indicates just how much Conte's squad can learn from one another during training.

Players impressing

During the indoor part of the session, Davinson Sanchez was doing a weighted arm exercise and kicking a gym ball as Costantino Coratti threw it to him. Coratti was full of praise for the Colombian during the exercise and this will only help Sanchez's case, when trying to keep his place in Conte's starting XI, in Romero's absence.

The defender was also seen joking around with Pape Matar Sarr, during the indoor session, with Sanchez jokingly elbowing the youngster. Sarr is one of the players who could still make a move in the final week of the transfer window, but it is nice to see the Senegalese international getting along with his fellow Spurs players.

Then it was time for Conte's side to begin their outdoor session. The clip Tottenham uploaded showed a defender kicking the ball away from near the goal, to an attacker, who would then go one v one with the defender and have a shot at goal.

Bryan Gil was paired with Ben Davies and the Welshman got in front of the youngster to block his first shot. Gil's pace got the better of the defender in round two, although his shot went just wide.

Third time lucky for the Spaniard and he slotted the ball into the back of the net, after his pace helped him get passed Davies once again, as did his fourth attempt. Djed Spence was another who showed his quality during the session.

The summer arrival was paired with Harvey White and the duo took turns in both defending and attacking. One round in particular showed Spence's ability.

The 22-year-old dribbled the ball towards White, did a number of step-overs, before taking it round the youngster and firing the ball into the opposite bottom corner of the net. Spence did work hard with his defensive attempts, but his attacking flair seemed to be his strength.

Kane and Son being stopped

During this paired part of the session, Harry Kane came up against Sanchez and Son Heung-min had to get past Japhet Tanganga. The England captain was up first and Sanchez stuck his foot in, to stop Kane's first attempt at goal.

The strikers second, third and fourth attempts showed his quality, with him slotting the ball past Hugo Lloris and Brandon Austin. There were a couple of missed shots for Kane after that, but Sanchez worked hard to stop the striker getting the better of him.

Tanganga's first go seemed relatively easy, with the defender getting the ball off Son. The second attempt was also a success for the defender, with the 22-year-old blocking the South Korean's shot.

The young defender continued his hard work, with the Son failing to get a ball in the back of the net.

An intense session for Tottenham, although nothing less is expected under Conte and the Italian will hope all their strengths will come out on the pitch, at the City Ground on Sunday.

READ NEXT:

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