How the new 'five substitutes' rule may affect Spurs wing-backs - Best FPL Tips, Advice, Team News, Picks, and Statistics from Fantasy Football Scout

Antonio Conte is well known for his tendency to utilise attacking wing-backs.

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will fondly remember Marcos Alonso excelling under him at Chelsea, managing 13 goals and seven assists across two seasons.

More recently as manager of Inter Milan in 2020/21, his wing-backs scored 15 goals and chipped in with 23 assists. These advanced defenders are players he continued to utilise last season on taking over as head coach at Spurs: his wing-backs managed 13 goals and assists between them in the 28 games he managed.

Whilst Conte gives his wing-backs the attacking freedom that FPL managers look for he is also careful to manage their minutes closely, which can be detrimental to FPL points. During his 28 league games as the Spurs boss, he has substituted one of his wing-backs off in 18 matches and withdrew both in five fixtures. In just five games did both of his wing-backs play a full 90 minutes.

In order to see what the increase to five substitutions could mean for the Spurs wing-backs, we can look back to his 2020/21 season at Inter Milan, where the same number of changes were allowed.

Much like at Spurs, he had at least two wing-backs for both the left and right flanks.

Perisic (LWB)

32 apps (20 starts at LWB)
17 games he played over 60 mins
4 goals and 5 assists
1800 mins

Young (LWB)

26 apps (14 starts at LWB and 1 at RWB)
15 games he played over 60 mins (one at RWB)
1 goal and 4 assists
1423 mins

Darmian (LWB/ RWB)

26 apps (3 starts at LWB and 8 starts at RWB)
10 games he played over 60 mins, 1 of which was played at CB
3 goals and 4 assists
1367 mins

Hakimi (RWB)

37 apps (29 starts)
28 games he played over 60 mins
7 goals and 10 assists
2668 mins

Alongside the impressive attacking returns, we can also see that all four players featured in over half of the games, with Darmian playing the least. Over the season, Conte substituted one of his wing-backs off in 19 games and both in 16 matches. In just three fixtures did both of his wing-backs play a full 90 minutes.

With Ivan Perisic joining him at Spurs for next season, managers may be tempted to load up on Spurs wing-backs. However, a decision will need to be made if the potential for attacking returns is worth the carefully managed minutes which will cost FPL managers both appearance points and also possibly clean sheet points.

Skonto Rigga

1 year, 9 months ago

Great research, Wilko! Thanks for writing. Bit of a concern that Perisic lasted 60+ minutes in only just over half of his 2020/21 Serie A appearances under Conte.

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Baines on Toast...
1 year, 9 months ago
Crazy stat indeed. That's him out of contention I think.
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Trotskysbeenremoved
1 year, 9 months ago
If you look at the figures, he appears to have started only 20 games. I think the four wing backs listed started 74 games between them and will have been replacements for their other respective appearances?
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Andy_Social

That is extremely useful research Wilko. Like SR, I'm minded to take Perisic out of my squad. He'll have great GWs, but too often (given he's even older now) he'll blank given the minutes he's chalk up.

Baines on Toast...
1 year, 9 months ago
Also Conte is always talking about the increased physicality of the EPL so it could even be sometimes he gets 45.
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1. Brimble82
  1 year, 9 months ago
  Perisic out of the running.
  
  (and not just because he's getting old!)
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The diametric opposite to Perisic is Matty Cash. It's like the hare and the tortoise. With a weak bench, I think I'll opt for the boring steady-eddie security and take the Cash.

Chilli Heatwave

Thanks for the research! Think this cements my position of avoiding spurs wing backs, despite the temptation.

Nate(U)dog(ie)

Thanks for the info Wilko. Perisic's stats aren't too surprising to me, and he's been in either Serie A or the Bundesliga for the last decade so the PL in itself will be a bit test for him so I felt it was inevitable he wasn't there as a first-choice option but for rotation and as an extra body.

Hakimi's stats are very interesting, effectively taken off before 60 in 25% of his games. If Spurs sign Spence I think I'm quite unlikely to go for him or Doherty unless someone is out for a period, I don't think either will be a definitive first choice like Hakimi was so if he was subbed that regularly it'll be more for them.

Pep bites Kun

This is a nice bit of research. It'll certainly add to my decision making.

Thanks for posting!

Darwin von Humboldt

Nice analysis, thanks!

Phil_fox85

There are two sides to this, if a defender starts and then is subbed on say 70 minutes they have less time for attacking returns BUT also a higher chance of banking a clean sheet. In my view this broadly will offset.

The concern for me is the tendancy for a wing back to be subbed on (e.g. Perisc started 20 and subbed on 12 times.....that's the potential for a lot of 1 pointers).

MicksMasterMike

To be honest, looking at the stats above, most times that the full back starts under Conte the more or less play more than 60mins and if Perisic's time does get managed after 60mins that could lock in a clean sheet and we have seen plenty of times before that full backs that get taken off and team then concedes late on that only helps their bonus come the end of the games. Only frustrating thing would be when he doesn’t start, you pretty much looking at a 1 pointer then if he doesn’t return