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Emma de Duve

What Emerson Royal did to Lucas Moura in Tottenham training ahead of Brighton clash

It has been a rollercoaster last week for Tottenham, with a win against Aston Villa followed by an injury blow and positive Covid test. However, Antonio Conte's side need to overcome any issues, to ensure they are best prepared for their next match.

Spurs travelled to the AMEX Stadium last month and beat Graham Potter's side 2-0. It is now Tottenham's turn to host the fixture, with Brighton travelling to N17 on Saturday.

The Lilywhites are currently fourth in the Premier League and have won their last four league matches. However, it is still all to play for in the race for a spot in the top four, so Tottenham can't afford to take their foot off the gas. Ahead of the Brighton clash, football.london takes a look at what was spotted in Spurs' training session during the week.

READ MORE:
Every word Antonio Conte said on positive Covid test, if Doherty needs surgery and strange week

Absences and returns

football.london reported that Conte tested positive for Covid last weekend, but is expected to still be the man in charge on Saturday, which he spoke about in his pre match press conference. "After the game against Aston Villa, the day after, I started to feel mild symptoms. A bit of pain in my throat so I asked to have a Covid test and it was positive. Now I'm fine and well," the Italian admitted.

"The impact... I attended the training sessions but from a distance. I had my staff. My staff did a really good job. For sure it was a strange week for me and also the players, as they're used to having training sessions with me. Not only with my staff. But it's ok because my staff are doing a great job.

"I attended the sessions from a distance, and I think on Saturday I stay with my players on the bench. Given the length of time from my Covid test I think I could stay on the bench on Saturday."

Conte wasn't spotted in the YouTube video of the recent training session and was among a short list of those who were absent. After he was injured in a clash with Matty Cash at Villa Park last weekend, Matt Doherty is now out for the rest of the season, so also wasn't in training.

Japhet Tanganga has also been out for a while, after his knee injury also ended his season prematurely. The 52-year-old is also still waiting for Oliver Skipp's return, adding to the list of absences.

One recent boost for Conte was Ryan Sessegnon's return, after yet another spell out due to injury. The 21-year-old was spotted in training ahead of the Aston Villa game but in the recent session, he was seen back training with the group and seems to now be firmly back in the squad.

Repetition

One of the previous drills that has been seen in Tottenham training before is a passing exercise. The squad is split into two groups and they have to complete quick passing in their groups, around some obstacles, quicker than their opposing teammates.

This helps with quick passing and accuracy and was again seen in the training session during the week. This repetition can only create good habits which can be taken into game situations.

Another repetition of the session saw youngsters being involved. The likes of Marcel Lavinier and Yago Santiago were both included in the session and their involvement will only continue to help their development.

Joking around and competition

The passing drill not only helps as it can be replicated in game situations, it also sparks some competition between the groups. Whoever finishes the passing circuit last has to do press ups with the rest of their team.

This also leads some of the Tottenham team to joke around with their opposition, which was seen in the recent session. Both times Royal's team won, he called Lucas Moura's name and made some sort of jokey gesture to his fellow Brazilian.

This was matched by his teammates, with Moura and Son Heung-min making noises and dancing around when their side won. This highlights the competition and camaraderie that is created in training, alongside trying to improve what can happen in a game situation.

Conte will hope he is well enough to be in the dugout on Saturday and that his team can take their high spirits and winning streak, to get another three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.

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