Spurs reap benefits of ‘brutal’ regime

HOLD ME NOW: Eric Dier celebrates with team-mate Son Heung-min after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Pic: Kirsty O'Connor/PA

From his first day at Tottenham last November, Antonio Conte kept insisting how hard it was for any coach to take over a team mid-season, without a playing squad of his own choice and without having overseen pre-season preparations.

Now we can judge Spurs for what they are, a proper Conte team that is close to his ideal set-up. Six signings have arrived, a blend of promise and proven quality, and unwanted players have been moved to the margins. There was no place on Saturday for the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Givani Lo Celso, Harry Winks and Sergio Reguilon, all of whom have been told they can go.