Editor’s note: As mentioned in the match report yesterday, in a departure from our usual structure I’ve elaborated on some talking points based on observations I made at the ground as well as a match report; as such, I’ve done some deeper analysis rather than the high-level talking points we might typically cover.
A fascinating encounter last night in Sydney saw Tottenham Hotspur come out the victors in their latest preseason hit-out against Sydney FC. With Roberto De Zerbi naming a stronger side than the one he selected against Auckland FC, Spurs started on the front foot and looked much the better side, without being able to convert that dominance into goals, with an excellent Mathys Tel free kick Spurs’ lone goal. Following Sydney FC equalizing in the second half, the match went to penalties where Spurs held their nerve to win the shootout 2-4, with Joe Lacey hitting the post and Martin Dubravka saving Alexandar Popovic’s attempt.
Here’s a deep dive into a few things I took away from Spurs’ latest preseason fixture.
In preseason, it’s always hard to determine tactically what exactly is due to managerial instructions, the opposition, the players on the pitch, or a combination of all three. What was clear though was that Spurs were very much operating in an asymmetrical nature in a variation to their typical 4-2-3-1.
The midfield was clearly set up as a two, with Conor Gallagher in front of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray as a #10; however, Gallagher often was dropping back to link play and Bergvall routinely pushed forward, as well as at times moving out into wide areas while Solomon at times tucked in. This at times left Gray as the sole holding role.
On the left, Mathys Tel hugged the touchline, and Rio Kyerematen, who is right footed and does play as a central midfielder at U21 levels, played an inverted / free role, often making underlapping runs inside Tel or tucking in to receive a pass back centrally. This played out like so:
It was a setup that was arguably closer to a 3-3-3-1, and one that makes you wonder whether De Zerbi could experiment with a similar setup but tilted the other way, with Pedro Porro in the free role on the right and Micky van de Ven on the left - the struggle being that Spurs don’t really have a touchline hugging winger option down the right (could Savinho perhaps play that role if he comes in?).
This meant nearly all of Spurs’ buildup went down the left, but again, this could have been due to some of the personnel involved. Though I wouldn’t say Tye Hall and Malachi Hardy were clearly less comfortable on the ball than Ben Davies (Davies had a number of very shaky moments in possession), they were very much less inclined to take risks with their passing, whilst Davies’ experience and calm afforded him the space to look forwards, and Kyerematen and Gallagher’s movement often meant they were options to receive.
This meant Manor Solomon was rarely involved (as did his relative lack of movement), outside of a couple of quick bursts and tricky dribbles which largely came from turnovers high up the pitch with Sydney’s defense out of shape, generated by Spurs’ press. Tel and Kyerematen, however, were heavily involved with a number of bright moments for both, and it will be intriguing to see both what happens with the Spurs youngster this season and whether Tel can make that next step up and lay claim to a starting berth. He’s doing almost all he can so far in preseason; what he needs to add is end product.
Sitting in the press box, there were a few things I observed that you wouldn’t necessarily observe on a television broadcast. The first were some of the comments from well-known journalists, one of which was: “I don’t miss watching Conor Gallagher play football.” This was followed up, though, by, “The thing is that coaches love him, he has a great attitude and works really hard.”
Unfortunately, hard work in a vacuum is not enough to succeed in top-level football; but that brings me to my second observation: Gallagher’s movement. Gallagher moved more than possibly any other player on the pitch; and it was intelligent movement. He was dragging the defense out of shape, popping up in pockets of space, and making attacking runs. Off the ball he was relentless. It was the sort of movement that makes De Zerbi’s “third man” tactics function successfully (for more on that, see my previous piece here).
What was also notable was how important Gallagher was to Spurs’ press. His engine combined with his angled runs (and choosing when to make them), coupled with the likes of Archie Gray’s intelligent defensive positioning, pinned Sydney FC back in their half and resulted in a number of turnovers high up the pitch, generating scoring opportunities for Spurs. He and Richarlison worked extremely hard to pressure an overwhelmed Sydney backline, and as Gallagher tired, so did Spurs’ press fall off.
There was a marked difference in the second half as to Sydney’s control in the match, and that was due to two factors: 1) Sydney’s willingness to be slightly more direct and ambitious in their passing, looking immediately forward through the middle rather than working wide and probing, which was afforded in part by 2) Richarlison, but especially Gallagher just being a half-step slower closing the ball down. This was rectified once De Zerbi made further substitutions and fresh legs plus a formation change got Spurs on the front foot once more (as well as Sydney opting to sit deeper and play on the counter once they equalized).
Which brings us to the conundrum: if Roberto De Zerbi wants to press in that manner, Gallagher is arguably a key player. Neither James Maddison nor Xavi Simons (once fit) quite have that same engine or defensive smarts; yet the problem is right back in the first paragraph of this section: Gallagher is not a particularly skilled footballer to be deployed in the #10 role.
Around the box, his technical ability and passing are lacking, and he was dispossessed a number of times in areas which you would expect a Simons or Maddison to do much better; and he spurned three very good chances to score, two of which you would say with a high level of confidence that those other two players would take. Gallagher is effectively a blunt instrument.
So is he part of the best XI going forward? Do his positive attributes outweigh his shortcomings? Given Spurs’ struggles in the attacking third, it’s hard to say they do - but that’s a question De Zerbi will need to answer.
This preseason tour has raised more questions than it has answered around Spurs’ young players, potentially emphasized by some of Spurs’ transfer business. With the sales of Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic possibly opening up minutes in the senior team for certain talented youngsters, but the lack of European competition limiting minutes available in which those players could be utilized, De Zerbi, Johan Lange, and Vinai Venkatesham have some tough decisions to make.
Kyerematen as mentioned above, Luca Williams-Barnett, Jamie Donley, and Malachi Hardy have all impressed, while Mikey Moore has had a mixed campaign thus far (though didn’t play last night), Mason Melia looked promising but had limited involvement, and Yang Min-hyeok, Kota Takai, and Dane Scarlett haven’t really grabbed their chances.
Yang clearly doesn’t appear ready for the top level. Though his movement and positioning were impressive, his total lack of end product and unwillingness to take on his man, even when the opposition player is playing at a level below that which Yang would encounter in the Championship, are not traits that indicate future top-flight success; however, this can be developed, and so the solution there is easy: loan (probably), or potentially a quick sale. Dane Scarlett may be kept around solely for depth before being released on a free, given his lack of success with prior loan spells.
Kota Takai is the more challenging one. Coming from Japan with a lot of hype, he now has a number of players ahead of him in the pecking order and has looked to have struggled with the shift to Europe, barely playing while on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach next season. In this match, he looked rushed and uncomfortable on the ball, and for Sydney’s goal he showed poor positioning and lack of awareness of what was behind him: two really worrying signs even for a young center back (though he was unlucky with his deflection that fell into the path of compatriot Takahiro Sekine). He at least needs a successful loan move; but given Spurs’ center back corps seem to be settled for the foreseeable future, does a sale make more sense?
It’s the bright sparks though that offer the biggest challenge. Hardy is only 18, so will likely be kept around the club long enough to qualify as club-trained, then will be sent on loan; Kyerematen, however, is already 21, and so needs to make the leap sooner rather than later. He is yet to go on loan, and there are questions as to whether Spurs have left it too late. Melia only came to the club partway through last season, and was playing senior men’s football in Ireland, so keeping him around could make the most sense to help him continue to acclimate.
Which brings us to Williams-Barnett and Donley. It makes sense for Williams-Barnett to be kept close for now. He is still only 17 years old, so it feels early in his career for a loan, but the level of skill and confidence on show last night belied his tender years. He looked completely unfazed by playing against much older and experienced players, and the self-assurance to step up first in a penalty shootout and nail a panenka whilst boos ring out around you speaks hugely of his mentality. The struggle will be to give him enough minutes to develop whilst not hampering his development by throwing him in the deep end too early, and he is still very much raw: his shooting in advanced areas was lacking, and as the match wore on his lack of end product appeared to actually get to him, as he made a few poor decisions to shoot rather than play in a teammate, appearing desperate to turn his mazy runs into something more. The question will be how these rough edges are rounded out.
As for Donley, the Northern Irishman has an absolute wand of a left foot, and unbelievable vision. His crossfield pass to Robertson from deep in Spurs’ defensive third on the right was a thing of beauty, and he was extremely efficient at picking up pockets of space to receive and quickly move the ball on. He was arguably Spurs’ best passer of the ball through the match, and has a skillset of which Spurs need more. He unfortunately is also a player that is athletically lacking, which is the biggest challenge for Donley succeeding at the top level. Players can develop technical skills; in general, they can’t magically learn to run faster.
Donley now is 21, which is make-or-break time for his career. Can his technical skills outweigh his athletic limitations? And are there enough minutes to go around for him to stay with the first team? This is one situation where the lack of European football has really hurt Spurs. The answer to that second question would be a resounding “Yes” if Spurs were in, say, the Europa League, but the concern will be that without those minutes Donley’s chances and development could dwindle. Tough calls may need to be made by player and club, but what those will be is hard to say right now.
What’s not hard to say is that Donley has been impressive and deserves further chances to play senior football. Whether that is with Spurs remains to be seen.