Can Conte Unlock Sanchez Potential?

Davinson Sanchez was a bit-part player at Tottenham last season under Antonio Conte, making only 23 appearances over the course of the season. Six of those appearances came off the bench as the Colombia international lost his place in the pecking order behind Eric Dier, with Ben Davies operating on the left side of the defensive back three.

The 26-year-old did get a chance to impress towards the end of the season. Sanchez did not disappoint and perhaps managed to secure his short-term future as part of Conte’s plans. Whether he can force his way back into the starting line-up on a regular basis remains to be seen.

A look at the football predictions today sees that Tottenham are backed at 14/1 in the betting odds to win the Premier League next term, which would be a remarkable feat to surpass Manchester City and Liverpool. Quality and depth will be vital for Conte to match the talent that City and Liverpool can put on display over the course of the season.

Boasting Sanchez in the ranks behind the starters shows that, although the Colombia international does have the attributes to reclaim his spot. Tottenham are reportedly aiming to bolster their ranks at the back further, which would put Sanchez’s future in jeopardy. However, his form towards the end of the campaign was a return to the Sanchez of old, where he looked every inch one of the best defenders in the Premier League. In the three matches Sanchez started, Tottenham kept three clean sheets, including their victory in the North London Derby that was pivotal in beating out Arsenal for fourth place. It was an encouraging sign that Sanchez had put a difficult two years behind him.

At the peak of his powers under Mauricio Pochettino, the defender was one of the first names on the team sheet. But, following the departure of the Argentine, he appeared to lose his way, making a number of mistakes at the back that drew the ire of Jose Mourinho. Confidence drained out of Sanchez and affected his form in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, so much so that he made only 18 appearances in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season. The disruption behind the scenes at the start of the new term was far from ideal, but he managed to find a semblance of form under Conte.

However, errors returned to his game and the two defeats at the hands of Southampton and Wolves where Tottenham shipped goals in two home games was the last draw for Conte. Sanchez was reduced to a role on the bench before returning at the end of the season with a flourish. Conte now has to decide which Sanchez is the outlier, the one that performs well or the one that can flatter to deceive.

The Italian has worked wonders with defenders in the past, and with the summer to run the rule over the Colombian he could unearth the world-class operator that he had threatened to be in the early stages of his Tottenham career and save the club the cost of having to replace him.