EPL 2022-23: Will Conte rest Tottenham's Qatar World Cup stars ahead of Boxing Day tie vs Brentford?
EPL 2022-23: Tottenham Hotspur will play its first post-Qatar World Cup 2022 contest against Brentford on Boxing Day on Monday. But will Spurs boss Antonio Conte be resting his WC stars?
FollowEnglish giants and fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur is all geared up to play its opening game post the 2022 FIFA World Cup break in Qatar. On Monday, during Boxing Day, it takes on fellow London rival and tenth-placed Brentford away from home in the 2022-23 English Premier League (EPL). The former saw as many as 12 players participating in the WC. While its Argentine defender Cristian Romero is coming off a title victory in the Gulf, its French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ended up as the runner-up. Thus, fans are left wondering if Spurs head coach Antonio Conte will be forced to rest some of its WC players, given their tiring experience in Qatar.
Tottenham would also be without its Brazilian playmaker-cum-striker Richarlison, who injured himself during the WC; Son Heung-min, Eric Dier, Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic were also involved deeply in the tournament. Speaking on the player resting scenario, Conte states that it would be impossible to rest all WC-involved footballers from his squad.
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"I am not happy. On the one hand, you are happy because for my club, Tottenham, to have 12 players at the World Cup means that we are on the right way to trying to be competitive and to try to win something. But it is normal that when you have so many players play a tournament like this, especially during the season, that now it is not easy because the physical condition is not at the top," Conte told the media, reports FotMob.
"It is impossible to give them a lot of rest, and for sure, with the players that didn't play the World Cup and we work for four weeks, now they are in an excellent physical condition. We worked a lot on the tactical aspect and physical aspects. Now they are at a better level than the players who finished the World Cup," added Conte.
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"For this reason, I have to make the best decision for the game against Brentford. On one side, I have players I worked with for four weeks really well; on the other side, I have players who worked at the World Cup and are not at the top at the moment," Conte concluded.
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