Premier League: Tottenham 0-2 Aston Villa. Conte, 2023 starts badly. Time Chelsea-Nottingham

Antonio Conte’s 2023 starts very badly: Tottenham sinks 2-0 at home with Aston Villa (third win out of four with Emery) once again denouncing all its limits and leaving fourth place to United. Forest-Chelsea at 17.30 Italian closes the program of the 18th round: the 19th already starts tomorrow. Tottenham-Aston Villa 0-2 The Tottenham boat is leaking everywhere. It is Aston Villa, in their third victory in 4 Premier League games with Unai Emery at the helm, who expose all the defects of Conte’s team, which slips out of the top 4 with a staff that forcefully denounces all its limits in a game that enters the top 10 of Spurs’ 2022-23 horrors.

what a duck

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Dejan Kulusevski’s last-minute injury, knocked out so last-minute as to be the cover man of the Program on sale before the match, was enough to remind us how much Conte has numbered men: the 8 outfield players on the bench were 5 defenders and 3 midfielders, no one capable of being the spark needed to turn games around. The starters were well below their usual level, starting with the captain Hugo Lloris: the goalkeeper has the 1-0 goal on his conscience, in which he committed his third mistake of the season which cost an opponent goal. The one with which the Spurs update the series in which they concede the first goal to their opponents to 10 games. With Harry Kane uncharacteristically innocuous and Son continuing to be far from his level, Tottenham flopped, unable to light up on the wing and find ways to pierce the team’s careful defence.

trend

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Aston Villa didn’t shoot on target even once in the first half, but they deserved the success: very orderly defence, dynamic attack ready to strike, taking advantage of the very few chances they had, such as Buendia’s after Lloris’ mistake or which allowed Douglas Luiz to sign the 2-0 in the 73rd minute. The Villans are still a long way from being able to think of a place in the cups, as Emery promised when introducing himself, but progress with the new coach is evident. As it is evident how much Tottenham are involved compared to the beginning of the season, where he played badly but at least scored and scored points.

market

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Conte needs reinforcements: at least one other striker (Gil, in his first career starter in the Premier League, demonstrated why the coach has never considered him so far) who can allow Richarlison to recover calmly, a creative in the midst of field that does not make Kulusevski indispensable and a quality right winger. If Tottenham want to aim for a place in the top four and make as much progress as possible in the Champions League, with Milan as an obstacle to the round of 16, they must improve. And quickly: Wednesday is the Premier League again.

THE MATCH

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The only emotion in a blocked first half, with Tottenham controlling the game and Aston Villa closing well, was Young in the 40th minute who saved Kane’s header on the goal line. The second half began with the guests unexpectedly ahead: in the 50th minute Lloris didn’t hold back a shot from outside by Douglas Luiz, Watkins anticipated everyone on the rebound and managed to serve Buendia who hit the mark for the second time this season. The Spurs try the reaction with Perisic but continue to have few ideas, rendered ineffective by individual errors and by the containment match of Emery’s team. Not even moving Perisic to the trident with Kane and Son changes things for Conte’s team, on the contrary: in the 73rd minute Aston Villa doubles through Douglas Luiz, who inspired by McGinn beats Lloris again. It is the knockout blow, the one that leaves Conte wondering if his Tottenham have enough for a place among the magnificent four.