When Nuno Espirito Santo was hired as Tottenham manager in the summer it’s fair to say that there weren’t many excited fans.
Indeed, the Portuguese gaffer was joining from Wolves where he’d done a decent job, and there were question marks around whether or not he’d be up to the task.
However, one bright spot was the idea that Nuno would be able to get Matt Doherty back playing his best football.
Indeed, the Irishman, of course, worked with Nuno at Wolves and he was brilliant in that team.
Sadly, as we all know, it never quite worked out that way. Doherty barely played under his old gaffer, and before he knew it, Nuno was sacked.
Antonio Conte came in as his replacement, and while it’s taken a little while, Doherty is now enjoying the slight renaissance that he should’ve had under Nuno.
Now, we’re not going to claim that Doherty now looks like a star at Spurs, because he still has a long way to go. But for the first time in a while, he’s starting games and he’s playing well.
Against Leeds last weekend he was a constant attacking threat, netting a goal and grabbing an assist, while he’s also put in solid performances against Chelsea, Leicester and Wolves since the start of the calendar year.
At Stamford Bridge, Doherty made four tackles, against Leicester he made four key passes in just 45 minutes and against Wolves he was again brilliant defensively, making no fewer than four interceptions.
Conte is often brilliant at getting the best out of his wing-backs, and it seems as though Doherty is slowly but surely getting to grips with that role.
It’s not surprising to see Conte taking a shine to Doherty either. He’s perfect for that wing-back role, and he’s a hard worker, even being described as a ‘workaholic’ in the past.
Many expected Doherty to improve rapidly under Nuno, but it’s Conte who has brought the best out of the defender.
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