Tottenham Hotspur had their fourth preseason game on Wednesday against Chelsea in a charity match, so what did we learn about Spurs as the season draws near.
The difference in competition from the first three preseason matches to the fourth was truly a chasm for Tottenham Hotspur. The Spurs went from playing a third division and two fourth division sides to facing the European Champions. Given the Lilywhites will host the Premier League Champions a week from Sunday, it was a very appropriate warm-up test. Besides a solid debut for Pierluigi Gollini in goal, what did we learn about Tottenham versus Chelsea in the Mind Series?
Tottenham’s middling midfield
Some fans may point back to the loss of Christian Eriksen, while others may harken all the way back to Mousa Dembele. Regardless of your view, there is no doubting Tottenham’s midfield engine is not what it once was in the Pochettino heyday. Of course, Spurs are still missing Giovani Lo Celso, who will add both tenacity and a hint of creativity to the midfield but overall Chelsea showed they are a class above Spurs in this area in the first half.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg being a step off the pace was to be expected, likely more so than seeing the man play. Of course, getting a play who needs to play as well for Tottenham as he did this summer for Denmark minutes is really important.
While clearly not up to his own standard, it was fantastic to see Højbjerg out there with his mates. The way both he and Heung-Min Son returned straight back to the pitch says something about their commitment to the club and team. Højbjerg’s overall performance gets a pass but both Dele Alli and Oliver Skipp could and should have done more.
Dele disappeared while Skipp disappoints?
Saying Oliver Skipp disappointed is probably a bit harsh but he was not near the level he was in the first two preseason outings. Skipp’s touch was not as sound and his distribution was not as crisp but the competition was again much, much higher.
The move the disappointed me the most, however, was on the second goal when Skipp did little to run with the midfielder pushing through on the attack. This left Winks one-on-one when a hustling Skipp would have been able to cut that pass into the box. If Skipp is not hustling all the time he is going to have a hard time staying on the pitch consistently.
This criticism is again harsh on Skipp, but his presence on the field needs to be about total effort because while he is a solid player, he is not at the level of some alternatives – Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele to name a few. It was not a poor outing and the lad put in his shift over the full 90 minutes and he will improve against top competition, thus I continue to have high hopes for Skipp’s contribution this season.
The bottom line with Skipp at this juncture, is we need to temper our expectations in terms of footballing performance but hold him to the highest standard in terms of effort because that is what he needs to bring.
Speaking of effort, at times it looked like Dele was grafting hard to keep the ball and make something happen. At other times in the match, he just drifted out of the involvement and away from the game.
As we all know Dele’s biggest problem is his position, which is one that no longer really exists. Hurt the most from the freedom lost by selling Mousa Dembele, Dele has yet to find his rhythm and place in what is a transforming Spurs line-up and formation. Seeing Lo Celso come in on the left side of the midfield three where Dele has been lining up the last two matches seems very possible.
That said, Dele did almost score the winner at the death. His run into the box off a decent long-ball from Son over the top at 93 minutes would have certainly won the game for Spurs had it connected. When Dele was at his best one of his talents was scoring at opportune moments or inopportune depending on your perspective and team.
Those late and darting runs into the box were part of what made Dele great and it is possible that magic is still there but Spurs need more than flashes of brilliance. Maybe as Højbjerg rounds into form and Skipp improves they can live with Dele providing flashes but more likely than not, Spurs need more consistency in the middle of the pitch.
Other Tottenham Preseason Takeaways
Lucas Moura is another player that continues to both excite and disappoint at times. In reality, there was really only one bad or disappointing moment for Lucas but like with Skipp not following the man on the second goal, this one mistake again turned into a celebration for Chelsea.
Defensive plays changed the game for Tottenham
Tackles are all about timing, and just how much of an impact a single tackle will have depends on when it where it occurs. Being tackled by N’Golo Kante is something that has happened to hundreds of footballers and will happen to hundreds more. However, it was the timing and juncture of a Kante tackle that led to the first goal.
Lucas has done well at beating players off the dribble this preseason but on this occasion, the French midfielder timed his defense to perfection leading directly to a break. It was a situation where Tottenham had no midfielder behind Lucas and Hakim Zitech was allowed to simply run with the ball towards the goal.
As Timo Werner went wider, Eric Dier shaded that way and pointed for Japhet Tanganga to come over and step up. This was completely wrong by Dier who should know by now the ball is the most dangerous thing. The split between Dier and Tanganga, which was far too wide all night, did not allow the young defender time to come over to cut off the charging Zitech.
This all came off one tackle in the open field and the Spurs have to react better. Surely Chelsea feels the same after the Lilywhites scored twice on counterattacks themselves, both off of Chelsea turnovers. There is no doubting that making big defensive plays and avoiding the big defensive mistakes will be critical for Tottenham this year.
Several players go for a full 90
Likely we are starting to see the players Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo will lean on early in the season. Seven different players went a full 90 minutes. Lucas, Son, Dele, Skipp, Dier, Tanganga, and Gollini all played the entire match.
In the previous preseason games by the end of the game, Santo had his bench cleared, in this game he only used four substitutes total and none got big minutes.
We did see the preseason debut of Serge Aurier and he seemed to do more attacking-wise in 10 minutes than Matt Doherty had done in 80 but he also had fresh legs. One of the best things about Aurier is he reportedly wants to leave the club but was out there playing and giving his all in the time he had. I personally would rather see Doherty move on and Aurier stay but I may be in the minority there.
In the end, a draw with the defending European Champions is something to be optimistic about. While the first half was rough the second half was better and Tottenham kept pushing, which is part of the DNA that we seek. Still, a lot to do before City and as the season progresses but this team should be both competitive and relatively fun to watch.