Tottenham Hotspur began their preseason campaign with a win in a behind-closed-doors friendly against League One side MK Dons at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground.
With several players missing due to the recently completed World Cup, a mix of youth and experience was on display as Roberto De Zerbi heavily rotated his side each half. New signings Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, and Martin Dubravka made their debuts, and it was the former who was the difference, with his stunning strike the lone goal in a scrappy encounter.
Here’s my top ten talking points from Spurs’ first outing under Thomas Frank.
Spurs’ first friendly was as notable for who was missing as much as who was named. With the World Cup only recently wrapping up in the Americas, it was obviously much too soon to see the likes of Djed Spence, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, or Cristian Romero; but other players involved in the World Cup also weren’t involved. Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr, and Andy Robertson were all missing due to enforced leave following their international duties.
This meant limited learnings as to how the squad will shape up when the season kicked off, and also raises questions as to who will be available for the tour to Australia and New Zealand. An additional point of concern was the absence of James Maddison, who had no such international commitments and who made his return from an ACL injury towards the end of last season. The fact he did not see the pitch is concerning given his injury history. It’s a similar situation as well for promising young defender Jun’ai Byfield, also missing the end of the season with injury and not sighted today.
The limited player availability and heavy rotation typical of a preseason friendly meant XIs that were somewhat cobbled together. Rio Kyerematen was one name who may have been unfamiliar to some, with the Spurs youth product lining up at left back, before switching to the right despite ostensibly being a midfielder. Archie Gray also spent time at fullback, before things got even more weird in the second half.
Spurs academy players Jamie Donley and Luca Williams-Barnett, both attacking players, lined up in central midfield, while Dane Scarlett, a forward, played off Richarlison up front. It was a strange lineup that really emphasized the friendly nature of the encounter.
Mere minutes into new signing Mateus Fernandes’ debut for Spurs, he opened the scoring with an absolutely stunning strike. The ball dropped to the Portuguese midfielder outside the 18-yard box after being punched clear by MK Dons’ keeper, and he unleashed a stunning first-time volley. The strike rocketed into the top right corner of the net, and such was the absurdity of the shot that some of the players broke out in laughter.
Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come from Spurs’ new midfielder.
One hallmark of Roberto De Zerbi’s play is the third-man buildup, in which the recipient of a pass quickly lays it off to a teammate in space. There was limited implementation of this tactic towards the tail end of last season, with De Zerbi focused on avoiding relegation with a midfield corps that preferred time on the ball.
That wasn’t the case today though, with Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Conor Gallagher, and others extremely circumspect in their touches, often laying the ball off first time, with a clear emphasis on quick ball movement. It didn’t always come off, with a few awful passes through the first period especially, but it was notable in how quickly the Lilywhites were trying to shift the ball.
Preseason matches are typically characterized by a relaxed tempo, with focus more on fitness and familiarity than actual match intensity. That didn’t appear to be the case early on in this fixture, though, as Spurs began with a level of intensity more reflective of a competitive match. The press was aggressive, and Spurs moved the ball quickly as MK Dons looked somewhat shellshocked. Fitness, however, began to play a part, and the levels dropped off through the half.
Things almost reversed in the second 45, with MK Dons perhaps conscious of an opportunity against a younger Spurs lineup. After sitting deep and compact in the first period, they began to take more risks in progressing the ball and pressuring the Spurs defense as the young squad struggled to adjust. It was a reminder of how big the gap between age-grade football and senior football, even at lower levels, can be.
Though there was quick ball movement and passing, Spurs at times (especially in the first half) really struggled to create in the attacking third. Some of that was down to Gallagher’s lack of comfort in those areas, again looking a little unsure around the penalty area much like he did last season; but what was clear was the need for quality across the forward line.
Manor Solomon and Mathys Tel had an exciting moment or two without really being incisive, and Dominic Solanke was totally ineffectual up front against a defense from a couple of levels down the English pyramid. If Spurs want to compete this season, the forward areas are in desperate need of investment.
To temper that negativity, though, there were some standouts; especially in the second half. Mikey Moore was a breath of fresh air on the left wing, taking on defenders, always looking for opportunities to shoot, and displaying a range of passing perhaps unseen to this point, with a couple of lovely cross-field switches.
The real bright spark though was attacking midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett. There were rumors last season he was close to the first team before a late run of injuries in the season limited his involvement, and he was extremely sharp today. He was aggressive with his passing and used his excellent balance to often send defenders the wrong way with a drop of the shoulder. At times, he was guilty of overplaying his hand and holding on to the ball for too long, but it was a really positive outing from the young midfielder.
Preseason is always a chance to impress for young players, and Yang Min-hyeok will be devastated he didn’t take his chance after missing an absolute sitter. After taking down the ball with an excellent touch to a chipped pass over the top of the MK Dons backline and removing both the defense and goalkeeper from the equation, the young South Korean winger had an open goal beckoning.
Instead of slotting home, though, Yang sliced what should have been a simple finish wide, when it was almost easier to score. It was a notable moment that he’ll need to forget, and fast, with more chances to impress hopefully coming via a busy preseason schedule.
Mateus Fernandes was not the only Spurs debutant with a highlights reel-worthy moment, as new Spurs goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had his own such instance. Dubravka endured something of a shaky start, as the Dons had the ball in the back of the net midway through the second half on a set piece as the Slovak custodian went down reasonably softly under pressure from opposition players. It was the sort of goal that was permitted at times last season but on this occasion was called back by the referee.
Dubravka followed up that momentary shakiness, however, with an outstanding save. A cross was whipped into Spurs’ 18-yard box and flicked goalwards at the near post. Dubravka reacted quickly at point-blank range to tip the ball over the crossbar and retain Spurs’ slender lead.
It was also the debut for Spurs’ record signing in the form of Sandro Tonali. Many fans will be expecting big things from the Italian, especially given the money shelled out to secure his services from Newcastle, but it was an uneventful debut from the midfielder. Playing in a double pivot with Fernandes, with the Portuguese typically the deeper of the two, Tonali struggled at times to make an impact on the match.
MK Dons opted to sit very deep in the first half, meaning Tonali would often turn and look forwards, only to be forced back, with limited options for him to pick out with a pass but also unable to really make use of space with his running game. It will be more interesting to see how he operates against a more aggressive side, with the structured defense of the Dons not playing into Tonali’s all-action style. He’ll need time as well to mesh with RDZ’s tactics, Fernandes, and the rest of the Spurs squad.
Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.
