Tottenham have grown into a considerably more formidable force under new manager Antonio Conte, as evidenced by a crucial statistic comparing the Italian to his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo. There is no disputing that Tottenham have improved since Antonio Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spurs now have a more direct appearance, and identity has emerged, something that has been absent since the Jose Mourinho era’s dying embers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To go along with this shift, there’s a striking statistic that sums up Conte’s influence since his arrival in north London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spurs were noticeably sluggish under Nuno and were outplayed in a number of areas before the Portuguese manager was fired after just 124 days in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, since Conte took over, their mileage covered each game has grown by an average of 15 kilometers per game in the Premier League, putting them first in the league for the amount of running per game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put this in context, Tottenham covered the least amount of distance under his predecessor, meaning they have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other in a couple of months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it shows, as Tottenham are undefeated in the Premier League under Conte<\/a>, having won three of his first five games as boss and drawing with both Merseyside rivals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The massive improvement appeared inevitable with Conte’s arrival, and it begs the question why they didn’t go on to secure the Italian\u2019s signature in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conte seemed certain to join Spurs in the summer, and according VWin88 a Vietnamese sports bookie<\/a> was a favorite to replace Mourinho, but after Daniel Levy played hardball, they chose Nuno instead, who was never their first choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuno was fired from Tottenham after a few months of dismal performances, but if the club had gone with Conte from the start, they would have had more to play for this season rather than playing catch-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of work to do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After watching his side lose in the first leg of the Carabao Cup<\/a> semi-final against Chelsea, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said there are “a lot of jobs to do” at Spurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spurs lost 2-0 in the hands of Conte’s former club at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Kai Havertz and a Ben Davies own goal. According to the Italian, the performance demonstrated how far Tottenham are behind their London rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spurs went on to lose the second leg 1-0, meaning they bowed out of the EFL Cup 0-3 on aggregate. Since joining the London side, it was Conte\u2019s first home loss and will now focus on a top four finish in the Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With significant business on the cards, the Italian manager will have his first opportunity to reinvigorate the team he inherited in north London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tottenham have several departures on the cards, but there are also incoming rumors, with the month shaping up to be a busy one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to sources, they are leading the race to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie. The Ivorian’s contract at the San Siro expires at the end of the season, and he is open for negotiations with teams outside of Italy about a pre-contractual agreement this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"