A calm, more assured approach kept the Gunners quiet in Hong Kong
Sturdy: Cristian Romero kept Bukayo Saka quiet
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Matt Verri
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The celebrations were somewhat more muted than those seen in Bilbao ten weeks earlier, but Tottenham fans could once again enjoy the sight of Heung-min Son lifting a trophy above his head.
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If watching his side beat Arsenal to win the Herbalgy Trophy ultimately goes down as one of the most successful days of Thomas Frank’s tenure then things will not have gone to plan, but this was an important foundation block to build on.
Spurs fans could have been forgiven for having some caution heading into the north London derby in Hong Kong.
Pre-season performances up to this point had been largely uneventful. There has also been justifiable frustration on the transfer front, with the club yet to add to the signing of Mohammed Kudus earlier in the summer.
However, with just under two weeks to go until the UEFA Super Cup showdown with PSG, Spurs produced a display to offer real encouragement as the new season looms.
Gameplan: Thomas Frank’s side stifled the GUnners
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Most notable in the 1-0 win over Arsenal was the defensive structure on show from Spurs. The Gunners mustered just one shot on target, a tame effort from Kai Havertz straight at Guglielmo Vicario.
The likes of Kudus and Wilson Odobert worked hard to track back and double up on the Arsenal wingers, while Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both dealt superbly with any crosses into the box.
It can be easy to read too much into pre-season matches, but this felt like something of a blueprint for how Frank could set his side up this season, particularly against tougher opposition.
“Some of the bits we have been working hard on is the combination of defensive organisation,” Frank said after the match.
“So high pressure, middle, low, then that desire to keep a clean sheet. That gives you a bigger opportunity to win matches.”
Spurs’ best performances towards the end of last season, primarily in the Europa League, came when Ange Postecoglou abandoned his usual principles.
Winner: Spurs were rarely troubled after the opening 20 minutes
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They had barely 30 per cent of possession when beating Bodo/Glimt away from home to reach the final, and a similar approach had been used to get past Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.
With fast attackers, hard-working midfielders, and two elite centre-backs in Romero and Van de Ven, Spurs have a squad capable of soaking up pressure and picking their moments on the counter. Midfielder Joao Palhinha should soon join on loan from Bayern Munich.
That threat on transition was not regularly evident against Arsenal, particularly in the second half, and the main danger came from set-pieces. Spurs twice almost scored directly from a corner in the first half.
Frank will want to see more of an impact from open play in the coming weeks and months and there will also be times where a more front-footed approach is required, certainly when Burnley visit north London on the first day of the Premier League season.
There was, though, a solidity to Spurs that was too often lacking last season. They sat back and soaked up pressure but this was not desperate, last-ditch defending.
Frank will be encouraged by the performance and can be expected to deploy a similar game plan against PSG for the Super Cup. A similar result and another trophy would send Spurs into the new season in a buoyant mood.
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