Tottenham Hotspur’s Asia tour concluded in Seoul today, with a defeat to Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.
With two sides, the match started with a high level of intensity which told as a terrible giveaway by Spurs playing out from the back gifted a goal to Bayern, courtesy of Gabriel Vidovic. The Germans doubled their tally soon after half-time, with Leon Goretzka taking two goes to beat Guglielmo Vicario after a quick break found Goretzka through on goal. Spurs fought back, though, and Pedro Porro hit a stunner of a shot from range to beat substitute goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.
There were plenty of minutes once more for a number of Spurs’ younger players, with the likes of Will Lankshear, Mikey Moore, and George Abbott seeing the pitch, but they were unable to overturn the deficit in sweltering Seoul conditions.
Here are my top 10 talking points from the match.
Both sides named strong starting XI’s, meaning a great test for both teams. It was on the defensive side where both teams were probably a bit less experienced, though it showed less off the ball and more on it as the greener back fives at times struggled to progress the ball. The contest, however, was played at an intensity belying the match’s friendly status, especially first half, with the match a serious step up from what had gone before.
Bayern and Spurs both pressed extremely high from the off, and it paid dividends for the Germans as Spurs struggled to get out of their defensive third. A poor pass from Guglielmo Vicario was seized upon by Serge Gnabry, and Gabriel Vidovic was the benefactor as he stroked home the rebound from Gnabry’s saved shot. The giveaways from Tottenham continued, and Bayern were probably unlucky not to score more. At the other end, Spurs’ press was also excellent, but unable to create anywhere near the same volume of chances.
Spurs were well below par in the first half, with the likes of James Maddison and Archie Gray especially so. With a triple change made at half-time, you could say that this was just standard preseason rotation... but it felt like something more. Maddison and Gray were two of the three pulled, and it felt like a statement of sorts from Postecoglou, as Spurs improved nearly immediately after changes.
There’s a lot of hype around Lucas Bergvall, and we’re starting to see why. Coming on as one of the aforementioned half-time substitutes, he made an immediate impact to the Tottenham midfield. His calmness, vision, use of space, and physicality were all plain to see, and he did not look out of place at all against a high-quality opposition. Could he start the first match of the season?
Perhaps lost in the ‘return of Harry Kane’ furor was the fact that another ex-Spurs player was to line up against his old club. Eric Dier was greeted warmly by his former teammates, and though he didn’t start he saw significant minutes in the second stanza. Elements of his performance would have been all too familiar as well, with a trademark errant pass creating a huge chance for Spurs upon which the Lilywhites were unable to capitalize.
Emphasis on the question mark. Though it’s important to remember the context of playing out of position against possibly Bayern’s best player in Serge Gnabry, to say Djed Spence had a mixed night would probably be generous. He was perhaps slightly culpable for Bayern’s opening goal, and though he had some decent defensive moments and a couple of driving runs forward, he struggled on the ball where his lack of technical ability was all too plain to see at times.
Porro szn? The fullback is so key to this Spurs side, and he appears primed for a huge season, playing big minutes all through season. He continued his goal-scoring ways as well, hitting an absolute rocket of a goal. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of those in the coming months.
It’s hard to build anything when every time you have a chance of a break you’re fouled. As is typical of a Guardiola disciple, Vincent Kompany’s side appeared well versed in the dark arts, regularly disrupting any Spurs momentum. It got to the point where the referee could have arguably started handing out cards, even though it was a friendly.
To quote Dustin, anyway. Obviously, Bayern made a number of substitutions, and this was a preseason match; but the younger players on the travelling Spurs squad did not look at all overawed by the occasion. I’ve mentioned Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley, and Mikey Moore a couple of times this preseason, but it was Alfie Devine who really impressed me today, with tidy passing and intelligent play. Hopefully we can get him a good (read: better) loan.
There are some positives to take away from this match... and some lessons as well. With the start of the season two and a half weeks away, Spurs’ fitness has been well and truly tested, and you can see the patterns of play taking shape. There are though still some question marks, with the defense in transition coming under the spotlight today, as well as the fit of some players to Ange-ball. The team, the coaching staff, and the front office are all going to need to keep working hard over the next few weeks if Spurs want to turn this new era into tangible success.
Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.