Having beaten A-League champions Auckland FC at the iconic Eden Park on Sunday, the squad has travelled to Australia and now prepares to face Sydney FC – runners-up to Auckland FC in May’s Grand Final - at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday (10.45am UK). After that, it’s familiar foe and Chelsea at the Accor Stadium on Saturday (10.45am UK).
“It’s my first time in Australia,” said Roberto, speaking to media in Sydney on Monday morning, local time. “My first impression is Sydney is an amazing city, very nice, but first of all we have not too much time to go to visit. We have to work, we have to stay focused on the job.
“We are looking Improve our physical condition, improve our level of play, improve the connection between the players and the relationship with the players in these days in New Zealand and Australia
“It’s important we go to play in front of our fans, because Tottenham have fans everywhere in the world.”
With our Premier League opener against Brentford looming – we travel to the Gtech on 22 August (5.30pm UK) – we asked Roberto what he’s looking for as pre-season builds up.
He added: “To build a new team with the qualities, for sure, with big players, for sure, but with soul, with passion, with all the values we have. Football now is not just on the pitch, it's not just with the ball, it's before, it's in life. It's how many hours during the day you think about your job.”