‘He has to improve’: Antonio Conte says Tottenham have a player who really needs to get better on the ball

Wed 11 May 2022 6:21, UK

Conte Sessegnon — Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has praised young Ryan Sessegnon, but also made it clear that there are parts of his game that he has to improve.

Sergio Reguilon’s injury has opened the door for the 21-year-old to get a consistent run of games in the senior side. Sessegnon, still only 21, has started each of Tottenham’s last three games in the Premier League, including the one against Liverpool at Anfield.

Spurs were arguably the better side against the Reds, and although a 1-1 draw at arguably the toughest ground in the country is not a bad result at all, they will feel hard done by.

Conte was really proud of his players after the game last weekend and Sessegnon is one who impressed him. However, the Italian also claimed that he spotted many instances where the youngster messed up the final ball – which is something he simply has to improve.

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Antonio Conte: Ryan Sessegnon has to improve on the ball

Speaking in his press conference yesterday, Conte said, as per : “Ryan is a player that has great potential. Physically he is really strong and it’s very difficult to beat him in one v one. Defensively he has reached an important level, because he showed great attention during the game. In every game, he has shown this.

“For sure, he has to improve when we have the ball, because for me wing-backs are very important. Against Liverpool, we had situations where the last pass, if we….I think we can improve in this aspect.

“Ryan is a young player and is having a good performance. These types of performances have to give him confidence in himself. We are talking about a young player with a great space for improvement.

“In the past injury has stopped his growth but now he is in good form and playing really well. I’m happy for him because he’s a really good guy and he works very hard.”

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A lot was expected of Sessegnon when he first joined Tottenham, but injuries have really troubled him. After a good run of games in February, the youngster missed four league games due to a hamstring problem, which was not ideal at all at the time.

However, the good thing for Spurs is that he’s fit now and is playing really well. He was up against Mo Salah last weekend, and although the Egyptian hasn’t been at his best, Sessegnon dealt with him really well, and he deserves immense praise for that.

However, Conte’s right, there are a lot of things he can still improve on in his game, including his quality on the ball in the final third. That will surely happen as he gains a bit more experience in the coming weeks and months.

Tottenham face Arsenal in what is arguably the biggest game of the season tomorrow and Sessegnon is expected to start again at left wing-back.