Winners and losers from Tottenham Hotspurs first preseason friendly

Winners from Tottenham’s first friendly

While the senior players mostly did little to quiet questions about many of their futures, there were certainly some academy players ready, willing, and able to do their part. Maybe some players did not take full advantage of their opportunity but there were a few who did.

Dane Scarlett

Dane Scarlett did everything right in scoring the only goal for Tottenham. First, the 17-year-old held his run watching the defender making sure he stayed in an onside position. Then as Lucas Moura played a nice through ball to him, Scarlett used his body well to get between the last defender and the ball. Then most impressively, he maintained his composure and finished neatly with his left foot into the far corner past an onrushing Lawrence Viouroux.

Even if the goal was the only thing Scarlett did in his 65 minutes, one would be impressed. However, Scarlett showed he is more than just a poacher. Besides two shots and a goal, Scarlett displayed a solid hold-up game, particularly for a player as young as he is, receiving the ball well with his feet and back to goal. Additionally, Scarlett showed he has a touch of pace and can really work to pressure the opposition.

It is only one goal and only one game but Scarlett showed he might be ready to play a part for Tottenham this season. Whereas some players did not take full advantage of their opportunity, Dane Scarlett certainly did.

Tottenham Academy midfielder Nile John

Nile John is an 18-year-old academy player who like Scarlett, started and played 65 minutes before coming out with all nine of the other outfield players. John made his debut last season toward the end of the second leg of the round of 32 match-up with Wolfsberger in the Europa League.

Having debuted last season, John clearly saw the Leyton Orient match as a real opportunity and he did his best to take it. John spent most of his hour as the deepest midfielder in a position many may see Oliver Skipp in this season. Staying home and safe positionally, John showed he could play with the ball at his feet and move it forward with real intent.

Despite deferring much of the day to Dele and Winks in terms of going into the attack, John had Tottenham’s first shot of the match and tried another more speculative shot from distance in the first half. Maybe it was the expectations and bar being low but John showed real promise and may be knocking at the door soon.

JE3 Foundation

Ultimately, the match on Saturday was really about raising some money for a good cause while getting some training in. While many illnesses and diseases get a lot of attention, as we saw with Christian Eriksen cardiac arrest is real, can happen to anyone, and with a little training and knowledge, anyone can save a life.

The Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation is working to save lives and make a difference by providing education and resources to make a difference in a cardiac arrest situation. We have all seen the boxes in buildings and offices, in train stations and shops; knowing how to use a defibrillator can be the difference between life and death for someone.

Raising awareness, raising funds, and splitting the JE3 Foundation Trophy was a great way to get an extra game in for Tottenham Hotspur and hopefully make a real difference for someone when they need it most. Now if the Spurs can do as much on the field this season, we might be okay.