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There was never going to be any messing about when Antonio Conte's Tottenham side began their pre-season travels in South Korea. Spurs face their first friendly on Wednesday, when they play Team K League.
All of the Tottenham squad will be looking to impress the Italian, ahead of what is going to be a big season. However, there are some whose job in doing so will be more important than others, as certain players look to fight to stay at the north London club.
Conte left a number of players at Hotspur Way whilst the squad travelled to Korea, which seems to indicate that they aren't in his plans for next season. All eyes will be on the squad that did travel, to see how they do in the upcoming fixtures
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Monday saw the Lilywhites undergo a gruelling two hour open training session at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, in front of thousands of fans. This was quickly followed by 42 pitch-long runs, which became too much for some players, as they fell to the ground at the end of the nearly 5km run.
During the training session, the Spurs players were involved in fitness and passing exercises, as Conte looks to strengthen his team in all aspects. The Tottenham squad need to use this time to sharpen up on various aspects of their game, which is exactly what they have started to do.
Ahead of the session, the 52-year-old opened up on his new signings and outlined the benefits of having a player like Richarlison in his team. "We know very well his talent," he admitted to Spurs TV. "We're talking about a striker that can play in every three positions in front. I like him. He's strong mentally.
"It's not easy to play against him because in every...during the game he's always very strong. We need this type of player with great character. Strong physically but at the same time with good quality," he added.
The Brazilian began to show glimpses of his talent and potential in his new team, working hard and scoring a couple of goals in the training matches. However, there was one moment where Davinson Sanchez showed up the new arrival.
Sanchez was on the team in orange bibs and the ball was passed to him, which sparked Richarlison to close the Colombian down. However the defender managed to nutmeg the new arrival, turn with the ball to make a pass and then block the 25-year-old tackling him, when he received it back.
Sanchez is one player who will be wanting impress this summer, as the 26-year-old battles for a regular starting spot next season. The Colombian had to deal with being second choice to Conte's back three of Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero last season.
However, the defender was often the player given the nod when any of the trio were absent, producing a mixture of performances, in his 23 appearances, but he improved as the campaign went on.
The 26-year-old also showed some good stuff in the training session, not only during his moment with Richarlison which showed his strong defensive ability, but also during the lengthy run at the end. The Colombian was often in front by some distance in a number of the latter runs, along with Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr.
This shows his hard work and it will be something that Conte hopes to continue, so that Sanchez can continue to be a reliable player that the 52-year-old needs in his squad for next season.
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