Woodgate praises ‘aggressive’ defender, pinpoints position Conte has ‘improved’ Tottenham

Jonathan Woodgate has recognised that Antonio Conte made Tottenham Hotspur more “balanced” defensively prior to the end of the 2021/22 season.

Ex-Chelsea boss Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at Tottenham towards the end of last year.

Their fortunes improved a lot following this appointment. He has won 21 of his 36 games in charge across all competitions.

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Conte helped guide Tottenham to fourth place in the Premier League so they will be playing in the Champions League next season.

They have only conceded 35 goals under him so far. Centre-back Cristian Romero was one of their standout performers.

The 24-year-old signed for Spurs last summer and he was one of the Premier League’s breakout stars.

Woodgate is an admirer of Romero, as the Argentina international is a “front foot defender”:

“I like Romero, I watched him quite a bit when he was at Atalanta,” Woodgate said (via Daily Mail).

“He’s a front foot defender, he’s aggressive. I like his authority. Him and Dier – then you’ve got Ben Davies on the left side, it brings good balance. Conte’s improved that three so much since the start of the season.

“What Conte’s done since he’s come in is get the fans right back on side. It’s only since Pochettino that the fans have really been onside with a manager.

“I think what he’s done with the formation is kept to a settled side. The two wing-backs he has changed often, but he’s kept the same players and beliefs and he’s done really well.”

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