Tottenham ‘scouting mission’ doesn’t go to plan during nightmare trip

Antonio Conte knows Tottenham are still a long way off competing for title

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Tottenham were hit with a double whammy during their midweek trip to Portugal, which will have left Antonio Conte frustrated in more ways than one. Not only did Spurs drop the ball late on in a 2-0 defeat to Sporting Lisbon, but an alleged scouting mission in Porto went horribly wrong as the hosts were smashed by Club Brugge. 

Conte’s hopes of nicking three points were alive until the dying embers of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Sporting, although flashes of brilliance from Marcus Edwards struck fear into the Tottenham defence long before the decisive goals went in. Paulinho and Arthur eventually sealed the tie, ensuring that the visitors went back to north London empty-handed. 

There was still hope of taking positives from a taxing midweek trip as Portuguese outlet O Jogo claim that Spurs were among a host of clubs that sent scouts to Porto’s match with Club Brugge later in the evening. 

The Lilywhites had reportedly kept tabs on Porto stars Fabio Vieira, Jesus Corona and Luis Diaz last term and, despite missing out on all three, they are seemingly still keen to see what remains on offer at the Estadio do Dragao. 

JUST IN: Arsenal transfer target named ‘best in Europe’ behind only Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr

Spurs’ scouts won’t have been able to report back with much from a Porto perspective, however, as Club Brugge ran out surprise 4-0 winners. Ferran Jutgla opened the scoring from the spot and Porto crumbled after the break with goals from Kamal Sowah, Andreas Skov Olsen and Antonio Nusa rounding off the humiliating scoreline. 

Although Conte’s talent-spotters didn’t see much from the players they likely set out to assess, their eyes may have been opened somewhat by a series of strong performances from the victorious Belgian opponents. 

DON’T MISS…
Jurgen Klopp fires cagey warning to Liverpool rivals after Ajax win
Todd Boehly ‘sets Chelsea budget’ for Graham Potter’s first two transfer windows
Tottenham rejected Marcus Edwards destroys former club with Lionel Messi-esque dribble

Towering midfielder Hans Vanaken was tailed by West Ham during the summer and the 30-year-old was seemingly ready to call time on a seven-year spell with Club Brugge and move to the Premier League before the move fell through. Skov Olsen also caught the eye. At 6ft 2in and 22 years old, Spurs could look to keep track of the Dane with some fans calling for him to be considered as a wing-back option.

Conte will have an opportunity to return to winning ways on Sunday as his side host winless Leicester City in the Premier League. He’s clearly in no mood to take it easy on his players, either, reportedly shifting the schedule to accommodate a morning training session on Wednesday, just hours after their Champions League implosion. 

“To play in the competition, you have to reduce the mistakes because at the end you can pay and we paid, we paid a lot,” he said. “Now, instead of a draw, we are talking about a loss against a team used to playing in this competition.

“We try to analyse the game very well with the players to understand what were the positive things that we did and what are the negative situations that we can improve for the future.”

Source: Read Full Article