Four Things We Learnt from Tottenham Hotspur's Pre-Season Tour of Asia

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Tottenham Hotspur's fanbase expands to all four corners of the world, with a particular hotspot in Asia, more specifically South Korea.

Of course, Spurs' captain Heung-min Son has a lot to do with that. The South Korean national team skipper is cherished in his homeland, with thousands of passionate supporters from his native country travelling to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium every season just to catch a glimpse of Spurs' No. 7.

So it comes as no surprise that the North London club have again decided to show a sign of appreciation as they made the trip to South Korea for consecutive summers.

Three games in just seven days posed a challenging test physically and mentally for Ange Postecoglou's side, with a wide variation of opposition from J-League giants, Vissel Kobe, to serial European winners, Bayern Munich.

Spurs began the tour by narrowly edging out J-League outfit Vissel Kobe 3-2 in Japan before brushing aside Team K League4-3 before concluding the tour with a defeat to Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich 2-1.

But with scorelines being largely considered arbitrary in pre-season, here are four key outcomes that will give Ange and his coaching staff food for thought for the campaign ahead.

Spurs' youngsters impress

The future of the Lilywhites' team appears to be in more than safe hands, with Tottenham possessing some potential world beaters in the academy.

Academy starlets Jamie Donley, Will Lankshear and 16-year-old Mikey Moore have particularly flourished this tour, with the latter earning countless of plaudits for his level of maturity and skill at such a tender age.

Teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18, can also be thrown into that conversation, but more on them later...

Remember the name; Mikey Moore. Moore announced himself on the senior stage at the backend of last season as he came on as a late substitute against Manchester City to become Spurs' youngest Premier League player ever aged 16 years and 277 days old.

The excitement around the player is palpable and he is living up to the expectation already this summer.

In his boyhood club's first three friendlies back in the UK, prior to the Asia Tour, Moore registered a goal contribution against Queens Park Rangers, Cambridge United and Hearts, with his goal against the latter being taken with impressive composure.

Moore's 88th minute winner against Team K League proved he can be a player for the big occasion, a necessary attribute of being one of the world's best. His development over the course of the campaign will be intriguing to track and as long as he nurtures Moore with care, Postecoglou could have a generational talent on his hands.

Jamie Donley was in fine form for Tottenham's U21's last season, recording six goals and 13 assists in only 20 Premier League 2 games. However, a completely different role has been asked of him by manager Ange Postecoglou this pre-season.

Due to the absence of Destiny Udogie, who has only just returned to training after a quadriceps injury he suffered back in April, Tottenham have been without a recognised 'inverted left back.'

With that role requiring a very specific skillset, it has resulted in 19-year-old Donley, an attacking midfielder, being deployed at left-back.

In a typical tactical setup, an attacking midfielder playing left-back would seem ludicrous, but due to the inverted nature of both full-backs in the Postecoglou system, the 'defender' ends up more centrally and much higher up the field, which of course suits Donley down to the ground.

He has excelled in this role, providing an assist for Son's stunner against Team K League from a more central position and Mikey Moore's late winner against Vissel Kobe with a cross that is becoming synonymous with "Ange Ball". The low, drilled cross, typically fired towards the near post, has become a customary avenue for goals and this could favour a certain young striker.

Will Lankshear has also benefitted from some sizeable senior minutes in friendlies and as a natural, classic number nine his innate ability to find himself in the right place at the right time could see him fit into Tottenham's squad this season, especially with European football retuning to N17.

After a goal in a friendly against Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts a few weeks ago, Lankshear also found the net in Asia, as he was in the right place to tap home Spurs' fourth goal against Team K League from a driven cross by Timo Werner. Exactly the sort of situation that has paid dividends for Tottenham countless of times since Postecoglou's arrival.

Dejan Kulusevski at False Nine?

Replacing Harry Kane was never going to be easy.

Last campaign saw Postecoglou play Son and Richarlison through the middle, and despite both players performing well, a large portion of Spurs supporters have been crying out for a natural striker to come through the door this transfer window.

Unsurprisingly, Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange have been looking to address these complaints, with the club being linked with forwards such as Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke, Lille's Jonathan David and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokores.

However, the answer to the Spurs' striker conundrum could arguably be staring everyone in the face. Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swede has been implemented as a 'False 9' in this system and it has bore fruit on multiple occasions this tour. He is not a complete stranger to this role, as he has played through the middle whilst in Serie A with Parma and Juventus during the formative years of his career and he has even been quoted as saying that it is his preferred position.

Kulusevski has never been blessed with pace, so he has always relied on his attacking acumen and nous to succeed on the flanks. Playing him centrally seems to play to his strengths, and when played through the middle last season, it looked like the right position for all parties.

The 24-year-old's ability to improve the players around him is an invaluable asset and one that very few possess.

As we saw against Team K-League, his link-up with Son was almost telepathic for the South Korean's second and earlier on in the game he opened the scoring with a poachers finish.

Notably, he has attempted multiple back heel 'flicks' in recent times that not only excite the crowd, but catch out opposition defenders.

Changing his position also allows the frontline to be more fluid as the likes of Son, Werner and Brennan Johnson can drift more centrally, whilst he drops deeper and all three are technically gifted enough to interchange positions.

Is Djed Spence set for a redemption arc?

A man that was virtually out of the picture a mere few weeks ago, it seems Spence has turned his fortunes around at the club.

The 23 year-old has become the face of Spurs' social media in the past fortnight, with his seemingly nonchalant and cavalier attitude making for humorous viewing. Furthermore, he appears to be a popular member of the dressing room, another indicator that this season might be different.

He fits the mould of a Postecoglou full-back like a glove. His technical ability allows him to be comfortable in the advanced areas and his athleticism and speed enables him to transition from one end of the pitch to the other in an instant.

While the fullback's loan spell at Leeds United last term didn't exactly gone to plan, it appears as if the Englishman has turned a page, and fans will be hoping this isn't a temporary change.

Spence's revival could mean the outgoing Emerson Royal can be replaced internally.

The midfield is set for years

This Tottenham midfield is endowed in talent and potential, with newest recruits Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall at the forefront of that sentiment.

The two technicians are the newest members of the squad. Gray is Spurs' only first team signing of the summer so far from Championship side Leeds United for roughly £35 million and Bergvall has been fully integrated this summer after signing for the Lilywhites back in January from Djurgården before being loaned back to the Swedish team for the remainder of their league campaign.

The silkiness and confidence that the pair exude on the ball mean they are tailor-made for possession based football under pressure. They are also versatile, with both players having the ability to play in every position across the midfield and Gray can even slot into the right side of defence.

The physical demands of the Premier League would be the only question mark over Bergvall's availability straight away, but despite his slender build, the midfielder stands at 6'1 tall, so the Swede is no slouch.

One game remains of pre-season for Tottenham Hotspur, as they bizarrely face the same opponent in consecutive friendlies, hosting Bayern Munich at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Saturday 10th August.

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