Four things we learnt as Tottenham thrash Hearts in pre-season opener

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The Lilywhites kicked off pre-season by heading up north and cruising to a 5-1 win over Heart of Midlothian, who finished 3rd in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Hearts found themselves 1-0 down in the first half, despite having the majority of chances, after a slick move by Tottenham Hotspur which ended in a Brennan Johnson goal.

Hearts then found an equaliser early on in the second half, but a fantastic display put on by Tottenham's youngsters ended up with Spurs in full cruise control, seeing them score four to record an impressive win.

Here are some takeaways for Ange Postecoglou.

​​​​​​Brennan Johnson growing into life at Spurs

Brennan Johnson had a rough start to his time at Tottenham in terms of his finishing ability, but with the start of pre-season he seems to have found his shooting boots.

With a hat trick in a behind closed doors friendly against Cambridge United and a goal against Hearts, Johnson is finding his form on the right-wing in this pre-season.

Last season was all about finding the right position for Johnson, playing off the left, right and centrally, it was never comfortable for the Welsh International. Postecoglou now seems to have found his perfect position on the right wing, with Johnson hoping to have a prolific season.

Youth could prove vital for Tottenham

Tottenham over the last year have been praised for their talent in the academy and their young signings. With their u21s winning the Premier League 2 final against Sunderland, this year was always going to be a big one.

The players that stood out mostly against Hearts were the youth, with the Premier League 2 player of the season Will Lankshear getting his name onto the scoresheet as well as 16-year-old Mikey Moore also scoring.

Defender Djed Spence, who spent last season out on loan at Leeds and Genoa looked a completely refreshed player in the game. With a goal and an assist to his name, Spence played the second half in top form.

Brandon Austin, who has been Tottenham's 3rd choice goalkeeper for a while now, always shone brightly with a few fantasic saves to keep Tottenham in the game.

Defensive struggles continue

Tottenham started the game with two makeshift centre backs and a makeshift left-back which saw Hearts have many chances and Tottenham let off massively after a few big chances missed.

Archie Gray was one of the names at centre back who all in all played well despite out of position, yet it still looked slightly unnatural.

Tottenham conceded early in the second half due to a big defensive error from Emerson Royal, who is linked away with a move from Tottenham.

Tottenham's lack of depth in defence and individual errors is what cost them last season, and it seems so far that the theme is continuing heading into the 2024/25 season.

Is Son Heung-Min's age catching up to him?

Son Heung-Min played the entirety of the first-half against Hearts, but looked miles of the pace of how he used to look in previous seasons for Tottenham.

There's no denying that Son was not at his best last season, having to play off the left and as a temporary number 9 due to Tottenham's striker issue, and it seems it is carrying on into pre-season.

Son had a few chances in the 45 minutes that he played, yet none of them seemed to find the back of the net for him. One major chance saw him free in the box, but unable to control the ball well to get a proper shot away.

Son will be hoping to regain his once unstoppable form again, and pre-season is the chance for him to shake off any rust.

Many pre-season games are left for Postecoglou's team, but with a strong victory to kick things off, things are looking good. The few individual errors need to be dusted off, but with a full month still left of the transfer window, they can always add to their locker room.

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