SKIPP IN HIS STRIDE NOW
Rejuvenated Oliver is tackling Conte’s approach with relish
OLIVER SKIPP has told Tottenham fans to expect more of his crowdpleasing tackles as Antonio Conte’s new philosophy starts to take hold.
The home-grown midfielder, 24, has thrived since the Italian’s arrival – earning roars of approval for his work ethic in the recent wins against Brentford and Norwich.
Skipp believes Conte’s back-tobasics approach is making the team far more competitive again.
And while he insists he is not getting too carried away, the prospects of a top-four finish seem stronger the more sessions the players have with Conte, right.
“My tackles? I think that is the sort of thing that gets the crowd on side,” Skipp said. “I am very competitive so those sorts of tackles are not something I really think about much.
“But you can see we are progressing with our play against the ball. There were definitely parts of the game where we got aggressive in their parts of the pitch. Every game is slightly different but by making adjustments Conte has built up a lot of players.
“It was always going to take a bit of time to get used to his idea of football. Obviously, coming in half-way through a season, we are getting there but there are a lot of things we could do better in our game. But slowly and surely, we are starting to put a few things together hopefully.”
Skipp’s loan spell at Norwich last season has paid massive dividends and could save Spurs the headache of having to go hunting for a new midfielder in the January transfer window.
“There has definitely been a lot of improvement,” he added. “I need to keep working and keep doing the things that I am doing and keep making those improvements.
“Hopefully, that happens, but I know that it is a lot of hard work before that.
“I hope this proves that it was the right decision to stay and I feel I am ready to play for Spurs.
“You are never quite sure at the start of the season, but it was a big confidence boost to start the first game of the season and it was something I was looking to build on and hopefully keep building on.
“I always wanted to fight for my place here and I am very grateful for the year that I had at Norwich, but there are still a lot of improvements to be made.”