With the international break underway, HITC Sport takes a look at the early-season Power Rankings at Tottenham Hotspur with Harry Kane the star performer in the Premier League....CONTINUE READING

Spurs have enjoyed a superb start to the top-flight term with Antonio Conte’s squad sitting in third-place.

The north Londoners are also just one of the two unbeaten teams remaining with Manchester City, having taken five wins and two draws in their opening seven games.

Only Pep Guardiola’s defending champions have also outscored Tottenham so far, with the Citizens striking 23 goals to Spurs’ 18.

Whilst only Brighton & Hove Albion (5), Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton (6) have conceded fewer efforts than Conte’s team (7) to date.

Tottenham will hope to maintain their early-season form following the international break when they travel to rivals Arsenal on October 1.

The north London derby starts the second period of the season with the top of the table up for grabs with the Gunners a point ahead.

Conte will also hope the international break does not see some of his stars lose their shine upon returning to Premier League duty. Some in the Tottenham ranks hit great form over the opening weeks to rank highly in HITC Sport’s Power Rankings from the season so far.

Harry Kane is the star performer in our early Tottenham Power Rankings

Kane is the star performer in our early-season Tottenham Power Rankings, having fired his side to third with six goals and one assist.

The 29-year-old has found the back of the net in all but two of his seven starts so far, and has directly contributed to 10 of Spurs’ 17 points.

He found the net once in August’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea and 1-0 win over Wolves, whilst hitting both to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.

Kane also struck once in September’s 2-1 win over Fulham before contributing a goal and an assist in their 6-2 rout over Leicester City.

Rodrigo Bentancur is proving to be instrumental in Antonio Conte’s midfield

Rodrigo Bentancur is continually proving to be instrumental in Conte’s midfield in his early-season performances so far this term. The £16m January arrival from Juventus, rising up to £21m after add-ons, has been a driving force in their engine room with his box-to-box role.

The 25-year-old also scored his first Spurs goal to help beat Leicester, and later laid on one assist. But Bentancur has stood out the most for his calming presence on the ball and quick passing, but has – at times – lacked the defensive bite the Uruguayan has proven he has.

Cristian Romero shining on the ball but Antonio Conte will look to get more

Cristian Romero has been a shining light at the back for Tottenham, with the Argentina ace regularly key to establishing their passing rhythm. But Conte will look to get more from the 24-year-old defensively as his aggressive impact can be key but is not always consistent.

Small hiccups from Hugo Lloris do not overshadow his trademark presence

Hugo Lloris has suffered the occasional hiccup between the sticks this season with his sub-par passing sometimes inviting pressure. But the 35-year-old France captain’s rare mishaps do not overshadow his string of trademark performances with an array of important saves.

Dejan Kulusevski is earning standing ovations with his displays in north London

Dejan Kulusevski is earning standing ovations with the 22-year-old’s work in north London with three assists and a goal in seven games.

The Sweden star has sometimes been Spurs’ most dangerous weapon, creating chances galore, but he can ghost through some games.

Eric Dier earned an England recall with defensive displays for Tottenham

Eric Dier earned a recall to the England set-up, and a place in our Power Rankings, with his strong defensive displays for Tottenham this term.

The 28-year-old has led Conte’s unit at the back, is a calm presence in possession and has shown he can be dominant in the air.

Hard-working Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg needs to find consistency in the centre

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has given Tottenham a hard-working presence in the engine room so far this term. But the Denmark star needs to find more consistency with his game after the international break, having gone between commanding his duels to then being overawed.

Ivan Perisic has offered Antonio Conte an important presence since summer arrival

Ivan Perisic has offered Conte an important presence at Tottenham since reuniting with his former Inter Milan boss in a Bosman deal. The 33-year-old has laid on three assists over his seven Premier League outings, but he has sometimes switched off whilst asked to defend.

Son Heung-Min finally came to life in final game before the international break

Son Heung-Min finally kicked his season into life in the final game before the international break. The South Korea star responded perfectly to Conte dropping him to the bench with a 13-minute hat-trick against Leicester, having been a shadow of himself in his earlier games.

Ryan Sessegnon started the season with so much promise

Ryan Sessegnon started the season with so much promise, but has fallen down the Power Rankings at Tottenham of late. The wing-back was a constant threat against Southampton on the opening day, but he has since been physically dominated and overrun defensively.

Conte has struggled to see reason why he should select Sessegnon on a consistent basis as he cannot guarantee what he will get from the 22-year-old. He seemed back to his best in the final-third against Fulham, but showed his defensive shortcomings against Leicester.

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