VAVEL

This weekend saw West Ham United travel to North London to face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a pulsating London derby.

Holding the advantage at 1-0 through a Mohammed Kudus strike, it was not too long until Ange Postecoglu’s side bit back as Dejan Kulusevski trickled the ball over the line to make it level at the break.

The two teams than entered the pitch for the second 45’ where Spurs were relentless, putting 3 past the Hammers in less than 10 minutes - a dismal defensive display from Julen Lopetegui’s side.

The final whistle was soon blown and Weat Ham travelled back to East London, humiliated after a 4-1 thrashing.

West Ham Ratings:

Alphonse Areola - 3

Denying Tottenham an equaliser early on, the Frenchman did outstandingly well to stop a deflected shot from off the head of Rodriguez sail into the back of the net in the 34th minute.

However besides this, the Parisian looked shaky in goal at times and displayed some terrible distribution out to his defenders. Additionally, he could’ve done much better for the first goal as a poor shot from Kulusevski deflected off the Frenchman’s hand and bounced off both posts until eventually rolling over the line.

His misfortune would yet continue as he saved a Son strike from nestling into the bottom right, however the ball was spilt allowing it to hit Todibo and then Areola again before trickling over the line to make it 3-1 - an own goal from the keeper.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6

One of the better West Ham players on the pitch throughout the match, the ex-Manchester United full-back did very well defensively against a tough opponent in Son, whilst also attempting to get the Hammers attack flowing at times by pushing forward.

Let down by others in defence, Wan-Bissaka was the silver lining in a very poor West Ham display, yet again proving his worth and how much of a bargain he was at £15 million.

Jean-Clair Todibo - 4

A complete opposite version of the player he was against Ipswich Town a fortnight ago, the Frenchman did well in the first 45 but struggled to keep his shape in the second half.

Heavily at fault for Spurs’ third, the Hammers defender seemed to have lost his head after this unfortunate mishap and was abandoned at the back for Son’s goal - Tottenham’s fourth.

However despite this, the number 25 recovered well against Dominic Solanke to deny Spurs their fifth of the afternoon.

Max Kilman - 5

One of the Hammers top performing players so far this season, the Englishmen yet again did well alongside Todibo in the first half, but struggled in the second as Spurs applied constant pressure, which lead to some inexcusable defensive mistakes from the Hammers backline, as they conceded 3 goals within 15 minutes.

Emerson - 6

Another silver lining in a poor West Ham defence, the Italian did very well to close down an inform Brennan Johnson, whilst making some vital runs into midfield to push the play forward at times.

Guido Rodriguez - 5

The Argentinian was once again named in Lopetegui’s starting XI for the 8th time this season, with the midfielder still struggling to adapt to the intensity and pace of the Premier League, leading many fans to question if Guido could keep up with Tottenham’s quick pace and pressure.

Doing very well to defend West Ham’s advantage in the first half, the no24 was elating under the pressure and looked extremely confident defensively - intercepting many of Spurs’ passes and closing down many of their attempts at pushing forward.

But just like many others, Guido fell apart in the second half.

Not having enough pace nor agility to keep up with the speed of half-time substitute Pape Sarr, the Argentinian crumbled under pressure, leading to Tottenham’s 10 minute demolition of West Ham.

Tomas Soucek - 4

Contributing very little during the match, the Czech also lacked both mobility and pace in midfield, allowing Tottenham to be in complete control throughout the majority of the game.

With both midfielders clearly not working up to the standards of the Premier League, many questions must be asked on manager Julen Lopetegui and his decisions regarding team selection.

Lucas Paqueta - 2

Arguably the worst player in the pitch, the Brazilian has consistently shown no effort for West Ham this season.

Constantly throwing himself onto the floor and losing physical battles in midfield, the Hammers no10 seems to be making continuous errors, with one from the Brazilian leading to Spurs’ equaliser in the first half - a foolish flick pass, easily giving away possession, allowing Tottenham to break.

Picking up another booking this week, the South American’s faults did not end there as he contributed to the Lily White’s third of the afternoon - yet again easily giving away possession in minefield.

Jarrod Bowen - 6

Playing for the badge as always, the Hammers’ skipper did well to set up Mohammed Kudus for the opener in addition to dominating Udogie for the majority of the game.

However he struggled to find that attacking spark in the second half, whipping some lethargic corners into the box, and seemed to hang his head after Spurs converted their third to kill the game off.

Mohammed Kudus - 7

Missing a chance early on to make it 1-0, the Hammers starboy then wasted no time and blasted a shot top left, past Vicario and over the head of Pedro Porro to give the Irons a 1-0 lead.

Still forced to play out of his natural position, Kudus continued to show his class and seemed to be the only one whom actually wanted to try for the Hammers.

Unfortunately this passion turned sour very quickly as tension began to boil between the Ghanaian and Tottenham defender Van de Ven, with Kudus performing an act of violent conduct, pushing both the Dutch defender and Pepe Sarr in the face during an unprofessional brawl between both sides in a tense derby.

Referee Andrew Madley was advised by VAR to punish Kudus and send him off due to his foolish actions, receiving a 3 match suspension - a huge loss for the Hammers.

Michail Antonio - 4

With summer signing Nicolas Füllkrug still absent due to injury, Michail Antonio was quickly rushed back into first team football after spending the last 2 weeks with his national team Jamaica.

Outpaced and outplayed by the stellar defender whom is Micky Van De Ven, the ageing Hammers no9 struggled and looked more than tired when exiting the pitch on the hour mark as he made way for substitute Crysencio Summerville.

Substitutes

Carlos Soler - 4

The Spaniards highlight of the game would be his unnecessary yellow card as he struggled to impact the game.

Edson Alvarez - 4

Surprisingly benched, the Mexican played well defensively as was confident on his 50th appearance for the club.

Crysencio Summerville - 4

Like so many others, the Dutchman contributed very little going forward and was unlucky to come on during such a tough period of the game.

Konstantinos Mavropanos - 4

Defended well for the last 20 minutes to deny Spurs their fifth.

Taking the limelight off the horror show at the American Express Stadium, which saw Tottenham Hotspur's first team catastrophically fall apart against Brighton, was the club's youth sides.

Both the Under 18s and 21s picked up superb victories, beating Manchester United at home and arch-enemies Arsenal away, respectively.

Under 21s: Arsenal 2-5 Tottenham

The hosts, playing at National League South Boreham Wood’s home patch - Meadow Park, raced into an early lead through Romari Forde. On 34 minutes, The Gunners doubled their advantage thanks to a wonderful curling free-kick from Michael Rosiak, meaning Wayne Burnett’s side looked, deservedly, dead and buried at the break.

However, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. The comeback was kickstarted as Tyrese Hall and Max Robson scored twice within two minutes of each other, so, less than six minutes into the second half, Spurs were level.

The comeback continued on the hour mark with Callum Olusesi firing The Lilywhites into the lead, before goals from Jaden Williams and Max McKnight put the icing on the cake, celebrating Tottenham’s five-star comeback.

An electrifying second-half display on derby day sees the Under 21s end a run of six straight defeats, and move up to 21st in the League Phase of Premier League 2.

Under 18s: Tottenham 4-3 Manchester United

Speaking to SPURSPLAY upon the full-time whistle, Head Coach Stuart Lewis said he was "proud" of his side, as they showed “brilliant character” to withstand a late barrage of attacks from an experienced, second-year heavy Manchester United side.

Despite racing into a four-goal lead, courtesy of Ellis Lehane and a Luca Williams-Barnett hat-trick, the visitors to Hotspur Way nearly managed to sneak away with a late draw in the U18 Premier League Cup.

Spurs took the lead via Lehane with five minutes on the clock, and just seven minutes after the interval, they led by four goals to nil with 16-year-old Williams-Barnett continuing his rampant start to the season as he notched three.

United responded late on with a Shea Lacey brace and a penalty from Gabe Biancheri with just five to go, still, the hosts hung on to secure a vital three points against a Manchester United side who had, up until the trip to North London, boasted a 100-per-cent record at the start of the season.

Williams-Barnett shows shades of Moore

Less than a year ago, Mikey Moore - who has now featured times for the first team and even made his full debut last week against Ferencvaros - was plying his trade in the U18 Premier League competition, taking it by storm and impressing plenty.

Taking on his role is Luca Williams-Barnett, an attacking midfielder or winger who loves to go one-on-one against an opposing defender, and has an incredible eye for a goal or assist. At just sixteen years of age, he is featured in an older age group and is showing no remorse.

After just six league appearances, he has netted six times whilst also registering two assists - an average of one goal contribution per 65-minutes. These figures don't include his hat-trick which fired his side to a win against giants Manchester United on Saturday at Hotspur Way.

After such a promising start to the season, you would sense that the youngster, who has represented England at Under 15 to Under 17 level, is just a matter of time away from earning a prestigious call up to the U21s.

Upcoming games

Wayne Burnett's side host Reading after the culmination of the international break. The fixture will take place at Stevenage's Lamex Stadium, kicking off at 19:45 BST on 25th October.

The Gunners beat Spurs 1-0 away at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in a display that will give Mikel Arteta and his players a massive boost in confidence as they go into a tough run of fixtures.

When the lineups came out at 12.45 pm, Tottenham looked stronger as they had most of their first-team players available and ready for selection. However, Arsenal had several key players out, which made their task a lot more difficult when going to hostile ground.

However, this didn't faze them as they came out and put on one of the best performances in the Arteta era and walked away with three huge points.

Here are four things Vavel learnt from the game:

Resilient defence proves too much

Arsenal, in 2024, have played 11 away games, winning 10 and drawing one game while keeping nine clean sheets.

This is down to the Gunners having one of the best defences in Europe.

Gabriel, who scored the winning goal today, and William Saliba are among the best duo defence partnerships that Arsenal has had in a long time.

For 90 minutes, they kept Spurs at bay, not allowing the front four of their rivals to create any significant chances that could test David Raya.

Ben White and Jurrien Timber also had excellent performances, helping the duo ensure they were too good for Tottenham.

Key players out in big game

Returning from the international break, the North London side were unlucky during the two weeks.

Captain Martin Ødegaard got an ankle injury in his last fixture with Norway, and this was a big loss for Arsenal due to the importance of the Norwegian.

After the game today, Arteta gave an update on Ødegaard's injury: "Martin, we still have to want and see. He wasn't available today."

Riccardo Calafiori also got injured for Italy, and this was a significant loss as he was starting to gain match fitness for the Gunners.

These injuries meant Arteta had to change up the lineup, and he started Thomas Partey and Jorginho in a double pivot in front of the defence.

The two midfielders had good games, but you could tell the difference between having them compared to Ødegaard and Declan Rice, who was suspended for the game.

Arsenal will have Rice coming back into the squad against Atalanta, but Ødegaard's injury is still in the air as the Gunners hope the Norwegian comes back into the team soon.

Ethan Nwaneri was a bright spark coming off the bench

Today, Arsenal's bench consisted of five academy prospects with huge potential.

However, Ethan Nwaneri was the only one who came off the bench, and when the 17-year-old did, you could tell he belonged on the team.

The England U19 international showed today why Arteta can trust him; whenever he got on the ball, he felt calm and knew what he was doing.

He is the youngest player to appear in the North London Derby in the League in more than 30 years.

He has a bright future at Arsenal and, in the next week, can get more opportunities with key players still injured.

Huge win going into a challenging period

At the start of the week, pundits and the media said this would be one of Arsenal's most brutal weeks of the season.

However, they just beat their biggest rivals in their backyard and gave them tremendous confidence.

They now go to Italy on Thursday to play Atalanta in the Champions League. This will be a tough fixture, but a fixture you expect the Gunners to win.

Then comes one of the biggest games of the season, with Arteta and the team travelling to Manchester to play Man City.

‘There are no easy games in the Premier League,’ Jose Mourinho once said.

This virtue may hold true, but it would be difficult to picture a more routine victory than Spurs’ 4-0 dismantling of Everton at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham were ahead within 15 minutes courtesy of a stunning Yves Bissouma strike that cannoned in off the crossbar while Son Heung-min doubled their advantage after Jordan Pickford took too long on the ball.

Everton, fresh off an opening weekend 3-0 defeat by Brighton, had no answers and kowtowed to an unmarked Cristian Romero who headed in from a corner.

But it was Micky van de Ven’s run, which swept the length of the pitch, to set up Son’s second and Spurs’ fourth which elicited the loudest cheer of the afternoon. The perfect way to cap a performance that underlined Tottenham’s pretensions to a strong finish this season.

Here are four things we learnt about Spurs in this match-up.

Bissouma single pivot frees up Spurs’ creators

It was clear as soon as the teams were announced at 2pm that the returning Bissouma would have a hand in determining the outcome of this match.

Having missed Spurs’ season opener at Leicester for his laughing gas indiscretion, Bissouma found himself cast alongside the forward-thinking pair of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in midfield.

The burden of defensive responsibility fell largely on his shoulders - and the Malian duly delivered a sentry’s performance, even minding to score a superb opening goal.

“I thought it was a disciplined performance from him,” managerAnge Postecoglou purred. “Not just the goal, but he had a really important job for us. We knew they play fairly direct and he had to be there to mop up second balls and intercept things.”

It was to Bissouma’s credit that Sean Dyche’s offensive game plan largely conceded the midfield battle to Spurs, preferring to loft balls over the top for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to gallop on to. Abdoulaye Doucoure has 33 Premier League goals from midfield but neither he nor Tim Iroegbunam were given an inch.

In the knowledge that Bissouma had Spurs' house in order, Kulusevski remained advanced and drifted out to the flank, while Maddison floated. The midfielder thrived in the quarterback role, spraying passes and dictating the tempo as he saw fit.

Even when the personnel shifted, the shape remained the same: Archie Gray was deployed in the six behind Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr, with Spurs scoring twice with the youngster in the pivot.

Will Postecoglou set up this expansively every time? No. But knowing Spurs have the players to execute the formation bodes well for the future.

Odobert delivers ‘exciting’ debut

Spurs’ latest signing needed only a matter of minutes to bring the supporters onside, bursting beyond Everton’s young right-back Roman Dixon before firing the ball across the six-yard box.

It was a sign of more to come as the Frenchman’s speed and guile proved too much for the young full-back. Staying wide, he kept the visitors’ back line stretched, opening up central pockets for Maddison and Kulusevski to occupy.

There was evidence enough to suggest Odobert’s partnership with left-back Destiny Udogie could bear fruit this season. The pair linked up well, picking off defenders with sharp triangles with an understanding that belied their eight-day-old working relationship.

In truth, Odobert ticked a lot of the boxes on the wide player’s debut charter, even regaining possession in his own half to the delight of the home faithful.

His decision-making suffered as he faded in the second half. Attempting to dribble out of trouble saw the winger lose possession and a misplaced cross-field pass had Tottenham’s defence momentarily flustered. Minutes under the belt will help in this regard.

Odobert offers a different proposition to his fellow wingers. Constantly looking to run at and beat his full-back, the 19-year-old’s directness and courage characterises the true difference-makers in this league.

According to Postecoglou, an "exciting" start to life in North London.

Centre-backs get it done… at both ends

To address the elephant in the room: yes, van de Ven’s mesmerising dribble for the fourth goal is probably the best assist seen by the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was a majestic run, one which had the entire arena on their feet applauding, not least the Spurs manager who later branded the Dutchman “a special footballer”.

Yet it was but the cherry on top of the icing that had been yet another assured display at the back for van de Ven.

Barring a five-minute spell of set-piece jeopardy at the end of the first period, neither he nor Romero entertained the prospect of a two-sided encounter.

The contempt with which they swatted away Everton’s incursions oozed with class.

Van de Ven showcased his arsenal of defensive weapons, an athletic scissor-kick clearance to cut out a lofted through-ball in the first half was matched by an equally impressive sprint to snuff out a breakaway down Everton’s right.

Romero’s sheer bloody-mindedness was characterised by his goal. Charging into the space occupied by the visitors’ towering centre-backs James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, the Argentinian rose highest to power in off the underside of the crossbar.

Postecoglou had recourse to both van de Ven and Romero for 27 league games last season. The closer that figure is to 38 this campaign, the better Spurs’ chances are of achieving their goals.

Pressure: Pickford's pocket picked

Perhaps it was because Spurs were shooting towards the South Stand in the first-half, but Tottenham pressed with genuine intensity from the get-go and reaped the rewards of it.

Case in point: Son’s first goal. The Tottenham skipper had sounded a gentle warning to Jordan Pickford moments earlier, rushing the goalkeeper and almost getting a toe onto his clearance.

But the lesson was not learnt and the South Korean picked his pocket to double Spurs’ advantage on 25 minutes.

There were instances of all five of Spurs’ forward players forcing Everton into errors throughout the 90 minutes, most noticeably in the first half, with the press a prominent feature of Postecoglou's philosophy out of possession.

Other clubs have taken months, even seasons, to get the press right, but this is one area where Postecoglou is unwilling to compromise. Tottenham topped the table for pressures in the final third last season with 2,935 - 591 of which resulted in turnovers.

To press high, the back line has to be prepared to step up and both centre-backs’ know what their manager expects of them.

On Saturday, van de Ven and Romero’s average positions fell midway between the edge of the area and the half-way line, with the Argentinian stationed in the opposition’s half for much of the game.

Spurs will face stiffer challenges than this beleaguered Everton side, but the players’ increasing comfort levels with their manager’s system will provide cause for enthusiasm among fans.

A weakened Tottenham Hotspur side travelled to the King Power Stadium, attempting to stretch their unbeaten run in the Premier League under Antonio Conte to nine matches, with their last defeat coming prior to the Italian's appointment in November.

The original fixture had been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in The Foxes squad, setting up this clash on a cold winter evening in the East Midlands, which proved to be a thrilling, record-breaking night.

With Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Heung-Min Son all missing through injury, the former Inter Milan and Chelsea tactician opted to shuffle the pack, making three changes as he ditched his usual 3-4-3 formation for five players across the middle.

Starting XI (3-5-2): Lloris (GK - C); Tanganga, Sanchez, Davies; E. Royal, Winks, Skipp, Højbjerg, Reguilon; Lucas, Kane.

Substitutes: Gollini (GK), Doherty, Rodon, Sessegnon, Dele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Bryan, Scarlett.

How it panned out

From the get-go, the contest only seemed to be heading in one direction. The visitors were dominant, creating many chances throughout the opening stages, but Spurs were unable to break the deadlock.

After eight minutes of action, Harry Kane saw his low effort tremendously cleared off the line by the back-tracking Luke Thomas, before the England captain crashed a header off the crossbar just nine minutes later following a Harry Winks corner.

However, with 23 minutes on the clock, a goal from Patson Daka stunned the King Power, with Leicester scoring against the run of play following a barrage of early Tottenham chances. Scrappy build-up play saw the ball fall to the Zambian forward inside the six-yard box, and he made no mistake, beating Hugo Lloris at his near post.

It didn't take long for The Lilywhites to look for a reply, and they came so close to finding one just past the half-hour mark. A through ball aimed towards Lucas Moura was smothered to the feet of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, whose effort was cleared off the line by Marc Albrighton.

Less than 120 seconds later, they were level. Winks lobbed a ball over the top to talisman Kane, who wonderfully cut inside Caglar Soyuncu before slotting a finish in off the inside post - sending the fixture into the break with the scoreline all-square.

Despite heavy domination from Tottenham, a rather quiet second half in terms of clear-cut chances led the travelling fans to believe it just wasn't going to be their day. These fears were deemed to be confirmed with fifteen minutes to go, as James Maddison sent the hosts 2-1 up.

A pinpoint one-two with substitute Harvey Barnes gifted the attacking midfielder a chance to go one-on-one with Hugo Lloris, and Leicester's number ten seized the opportunity, with his shot, fortunately, deflecting off Japhet Tanganga and then the post before the net bulged.

Conte instantly turned to the options at his disposal, making an attacking switch as Steven Bergwijn replaced Sergio Reguilon. Little did he know, the Spurs boss had produced an incredible mastermind, with the Dutchman, who was making his return after a spell on the sidelines with a calf injury, having the last laugh on the night.

With the clock ticking down, it looked like Antonio Conte was about to taste his first defeat as manager of the North Londoners, but little did he know, the game was about to be turned on its head with just seconds to spare.

In the fifth and final minute of additional time, a lofted ball from Højbjerg found Matt Doherty, whose attempted chest control was blocked, but it fell for fellow substitute Steven Bergwijn, who smashed an effort past Schmeichel to grab a late equaliser.

The winger wasn't done there. Youri Tielemans gave the ball straight back to Tottenham from the restart, gifting Spurs a golden chance to snatch all three points in wicked style. Kane turned and played a pass through to the Dutchman, who rounded The Foxes' goalkeeper and nestled an effort into the back of the net, via assistance from the post.

He wheeled away, joined by his teammates, in delirious celebrations, as they headed towards the chaotic away end where the travelling Lilywhites were going absolutely haywire!

A night for the history books

Many records were smashed to smithereens during this epic comeback victory from Tottenham Hotspur.

For starters, Harry Kane scored his 250th goal in professional football, with his 38th-minute strike being his 234th for his boyhood club. His other sixteen were made up from loan spells at Millwall, Leyton Orient, and funnily enough, Leicester City.

The Lilywhites also broke a long-standing Premier League record, which had been upheld for nearly ten years. With Spurs trailing at 94 minutes, 52 seconds - the thrilling comeback means it is the latest time a team has been behind before winning a Premier League match.

The previous holders were Manchester City, when goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero produced one of the greatest moments in football history, as they won the title despite losing in their game against Queens Park Rangers with 91 minutes and 14 seconds on the clock.

Steven Bergwijn's inspiring cameo from the bench, which saw him bag a brace, meant he was nominated for the 21/22 Castrol Game Changer of the Season Award, only being pipped by Ilkay Gundogan, whose title-winning brace for The Cityzens couldn't go unrewarded.

Meanwhile, the club were awarded the inaugural Oracle Most Improbable Comeback award by the league.

Late drama, from the away end

Being a fan, my best-ever experience in a football ground came from the visitors' section at the King Power Stadium.

At 2-1 down, and with only seconds of added time remaining, I was heading for the exit, aiming for a swift exit as soon as the full-time whistle blew, in order to avoid traffic and road closures on the journey home.

As the cross stood up for Doherty, the rush of adrenaline was electric, sending myself and my dad down several rows of stairs, and not by choice. Before we had even had a chance to pick ourselves up, and amidst the pandemonium of the celebrations for the leveller, Spurs were belting forward again and I was about to be launched done another flight, or two, of stairs.

An almighty gasp could be heard echoing around the ground when Bergwijn cleared Schmeichel, before an eruption of noise bellowed from the away end. I recall one fan continuing the celebrations with blood pouring from his nose, whilst others encroached onto the pitch perimeter during the ecstatic scenes.

Some fans were still in the ground around twenty minutes after full time, whilst the home sections were deserted. A mere contrast from just a short matter of time earlier, where home fans could be heard aiming digs at Tottenham throughout their chants.

Anyone who left early deeply regretted their decision.

A goal in each half from Dejan Kulusevski - including one after just 28 seconds - wasn't enough to stop Bayern Munich beating Tottenham Hotspur for the second week in a row, as first half goals from Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller saw the German giants win 2-3.

Ange Postecoglou rang around the changes at the break, with eight swaps being completed following the interval, and by the end of the ninety, all ten outfield players who started the fixture had been replaced.

Spurs' all-time leading goalscorer and legend Harry Kane returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since he departed last summer, and he was nearly reduced to tears just minutes before kick off, as the crowd belted out a rendition of "Oh When The Spurs."

Just minutes prior to that, Kane, alongside fellow English teammate and former Lilywhites defender Eric Dier, were presented with commemorative gifts by Club Ambassador Ledly King, thanking them for their years of service to the club.

Spurs kick off their Premier League campaign on Monday 19th August, with a trip to newly-promoted Leicester City.

Kulusevski stars again

A familiar topic of the last few weeks, but the Swedish attacker has hit the ground running in pre-season for Postecoglou's side.

Although Dominic Solanke was announced just hours prior to kick off, Spurs' club record signing hadn't yet trained with his new teammates, and was therefore left on the sidelines for this clash. With Richarlison still injured, Kulusevski was once again given the nod to full the vacant void and lead the line.

After less than half a minute, the makeshift number nine had opened the scoring in North London - pouncing after the ball had fortunately fell to his feet inside the six-yard box. In the second half, he clawed his side back into the game, linking up with fellow Swede Lucas Bergvall before finishing calmly past Sven Ulreich.

Kulusevski is playing his way into the lineup on the opening day of the season. Whether that be as a right winger, where he has primarily played in his career in England, or as a central midfielder where he was utilised last season and in the recent 0-2 win at Queens Park Rangers, remains to be seen.

Whilst his manager had confirmed after the game that he wouldn't be needed up front if Solanke is given the nod to start on the opening day, his impressive performance will once again give food for thought for Ange Postecoglou, ahead of the Australian submitting his team sheet in just over a weeks time.

Still work to be done

This disappointing showing in N17 has highlighted one key talking point amongst fans - Tottenham still have a lot of work to do in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window.

However, the performance on the whole was below-par, and there is still a lot of work to do if the North Londoners are to competitively challenge on all four fronts in the upcoming 2024/25 season, something there Head Coach is willing to commit to.

It feels like Spurs have taken a number of backwards steps in their final two pre-season outings, perhaps feeling the consequences of their gruelling Asia tour, although that should be no excuse.

In the first half, Guglielmo Vicario, just like last Saturday, was caught dilly-dallying on the ball, inside his six-yard box, before putting Yves Bissouma in real trouble just ten-yards put from goal and that led to Bayern taking the lead.

On the whole, Tottenham looked shaky and uncomfortable for the large majority of clash, despite some bright spells, but they will need to put this aside and continue to instil the fascinating brand of 'Ange Ball' ahead of their season opener in the East Midlands in eight days time.

It has to be remembered, the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie only returned to the match day squad fore the first time in pre-season for this game against Bayern, following post-international tournament holidays and injury. When this trio, who were impeccable for Spurs last season, were on the pitch, the team looked far more assured in their philosophy.

With only three summer signings - Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall - completed so far, Postecoglou will now feel the need to dip into the market as he continues to complete a tremendous overhaul to his squad. There had been a heavily reported interest in Portuguese winger Pedro Neto, although he is now set to join bitter London rivals Chelsea in a £53.5m deal.

The emphasis is on The Lilywhites securing another attacker, and there had been previous interest in Ebere Eze, although it seems Daniel Levy is unwilling to pay his hefty release clause. In past windows, Spurs had heavily been touted with singing an additional winger, although now the ship with Neto has passed, their Australian tactician may now look to embed youth into his squad instead.

Bissouma slowly but surely improving

It feels like an age since Spurs fans last saw Yves Bissouma at his very best; gliding past players, breaking opposition defensive lines and taking games by storm. However, in pre-season he has been one of the standout names.

Having heavily dominated matches in his previous cameos, the Malian was once again a bright spark on a rather dull day for Tottenham Hotspur. In the first half, on plenty of occasions, the midfielder found himself causing havoc, splitting open Vincent Kompany's defence with his dazzling dribbles on plenty of occasions.

Last season, inconsistency was the issue for the former Brighton man. After seven impressive games he was sent off for simulation, before being sent off just weeks later as Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. That dismissal saw him miss four games, and his time away at the Africa Cup of Nations led to Bissouma being absent for even longer.

David Pleat has left his scouting and consultancy post after 10 years in the role at the club. However, Pleat’s time at Tottenham stretches back much further than that, with this week marking the end of an almost 40-year association with the club.

In an official club statement, Daniel Levy described Pleat as having an “encyclopedic knowledge of the game and its players”.

High praise indeed, yet many may not be familiar with the man or aware of his impact at Tottenham, which has stretched over several spells and a variety of roles.

Pleat has been heralded for having a fine sense for young talent, able to pick up on the, often untapped, raw gems within the English football pyramid.

Of course, when Pleat first began his time with Spurs in 1986, the level of data scrutiny seen in modern football today just didn’t exist. The eye test, gut feeling and instinct once led football instead of the data science that characterises the modern game, and it is a great testament to Pleat that he remained so closely linked to top-level football as it evolved.

So what is the story?

Pleat's maiden spell as Tottenham manager

Pleat’s story with Tottenham began in 1986 as manager, after a successful spell at Luton Town. In his only ever full season managing the club, he guided the team to a third place finish in the league, and a League Cup semi-final. Pleat narrowly missed out on winning the FA Cup, as Spurs fell to a 3-2 defeat to Coventry City in the 1987 final - a match widely considered to be one of the greatest cup finals of all time.

But his real success of that season was the style and personnel. Pleat’s football was known to be free-flowing, attacking and direct. He would load the midfield with five, opting against the classic 4-4-2 formation in favour of having just one striker.

The results spoke for themselves: striker Clive Allen had his best-ever scoring season, netting 49 goals across al competitions and taking home the PFA Player of the Year in front of a stacked midfield including the likes of Chris Waddle, Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles.

The captain for Spurs in the 1987 final was Scottish defender Richard Gough. That year Pleat had pinpointed the centre-back as his top target, citing his athleticism and leadership as the reason why Spurs should part ways with £750,000.

Although Gough was homesick and left after just one year, the signing was an early example of Pleat’s eye for talent and Tottenham doubled their money by selling him to Rangers the following summer.

Pleat left Tottenham after one season due to uncomfirmed allegations surrounding his personal life.

It wasn’t long until Pleat returned to management, having spells at Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday and briefly back at Luton Town. But none of them proved as fruitful as his one season at Tottenham, and by 1998 he was back at White Hart Lane - but this time as director of football.

Pleat climbs to the top of the Tottenham hierarchy

In 1998, then Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar recognised Pleat’s sixth sense for talent and appointed him as Director of Football.

Pleat held the position until 2004, orchestrating deals for a host of exciting talents. Notable names include Paul Robinson, Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defoe, who all went on to have stellar careers at Tottenham and were part of the last Tottenham squad to win a major trophy - the League Cup against Chelsea in 2008.

Pleat’s understanding of the game as well as his understanding of the EFL were invaluable to Tottenham during this time. He signed Matthew Ethrington and Simon Davies from the lower leagues, both of whom went on to make indents on the first team and both of whom Spurs sold on for good profits.

His period as director of football overlapped with ENIC’s acquisition of the club in 2001. Pleat offered stability during the transition, as well as presenting the new ownership with deals that pushed the club forward financially.

On the other side of this coin though, is the fact that he had become one of the most senior and authoritative figures at the club - and not everyone liked that.

Pleat had a reputation for being hard headed - to put it mildly. Most notoriously accused by Glenn Hoddle, who was now managing Tottenham by 2001, for being obstructive towards his managerial methods and dismissive towards his transfer suggestions.

After Hoddle left Spurs a second time, Pleat assumed the role of caretaker manager, and a rather public spat folded out. Hoddle claimed that Pleat had an “agenda”, and that the club would be better off, “letting him [Pleat] do both jobs [DOF and manager] without his disruptive interventions”.

This was one of three occasions that Pleat stepped into the role of caretaker, as he proved the ever reliable man to prop Tottenham up in hours of need. He guided them to mid table finishes in his briefer spells at White Hart Lane, always able to keep the team out of any real danger of going down.

Pleat left Tottenham again in 2004, enjoying advisory roles at West Brom, Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest. But once again it wasn’t too long until he returned, this time as an advisory scout in 2010.

Pleat's scouting success

Pleat returned to a Tottenham in a far different position to the one he had departed in 2004. Tottenham had stumbled to 14th place in 2004, but by 2010 they had finally reached the heights of the Champions League under Harry Redknapp and had a great chance to continue their momentum.

Pleat was reportedly involved in the signings of Jan Vertonghen and Ben Davies. Both players were integral pieces to a much improved Spurs side in the modern era - and Ben Davies is still a reliable squad player for Ange Postecoglou.

Since Pleat’s return, he has helped build a squad that has reached the Champions League in five different seasons, marking one of the most successful periods for the club in recent times.

But the signing we all remember is Dele Alli. Pleat was instrumental in Alli’s move to Tottenham, convincing Daniel Levy to part ways with £5 million for a relatively unknown League One player, winning the battle against Liverpool to get his signature.

Alli’s time at Totttenham is deservedly waxed lyrical about - it was a rollercoaster for the fans and the team. That signing is the jewel in Pleat’s crown and it proves the importance of not neglecting the world class talent that can be found in the lower leagues.

Perhaps some of his greater recent triumphs were the nearly-ones. Pleat is rumoured to have suggested Eberechi Eze, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison to Tottenham, all whilst they were in the lower leagues.

All have gone on to have impressive Premier League careers, with Maddison eventually finding his way to Tottenham for £40 million in June 2023, and Eze rumoured to be of interest this summer.

On leaving, Pleat commented that “football is my life and continues to be. Spurs has been a huge part of that.” He added that “the game and its methods have changed” and he felt it was the right time to step down at 79 years of age.

What is certain is that Tottenham, and football, have lost a great professor of the game. His departure is symbolic of the way modern football continues to evolve, but his love for the game and appetite for style is what all fans want to have at their teams, and something that should live on at Tottenham.

For the majority of Spurs fans, the 2023/2024 season can surely be considered a success. There were inconsistencies at times, but Ange Postecoglou brought with him a dogmatic, entertaining style of play that players and fans alike bought in on.

Spurs had been crying out for a bit of flair, and it feels like they have hit the jackpot with the Australian.

The Jose-Nuno-Conte (insert Mason multiple times) trauma seems such a long way away now - Spurs fans are truly loving Big Ange instead. Optimism like this hasn’t circulated around the club since the earlier days of the Mauricio Pochettino era.

The similarities are there between Poch and Postecoglou too. Both inherited slightly ageing and certainly underwhelming squads.

Furthermore, both also finished fifth in their first season at the club, scoring 64 and 66 points respectively. Pochettino managed to challenge for the league twice whilst at Spurs, could Postecoglou do the same?

The players seem to think so. Earlier this week James Maddison said the squad were looking to “make history” this season. It is clear they believe in the vision Postecoglou has set out at Tottenham.

But simply replacing the man in the dugout will not bring success, personnel must also change. Often the most frustrating thing for fans was seeing the players unable to perform the, admittedly tactically complex, demands of Postecoglou.

The team doesn’t feel like it is totally his just yet. Of course there have been moments. The first 10 games of last season where Spurs picked up 26 points out of a possible 30, arguably came too soon, with the team never going close to recreating such form later in the season.

Injuries hurt the team badly last season too. A period in late 2023 where both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were out saw Spurs start matches with no recognised centre backs. James Maddison spent prolonged periods out the side, whilst Richarlison struggled to maintain consistent fitness.

The spine of the team never felt particularly settled, with the gap in quality from the starting XI to the reinforcements being glaringly obvious.

But the signs are there, and now Spurs must push on in the transfer market. It has been said that Spurs are in a very healthy position with regard to FFP and profit and sustainability rules, and would therefore be on hand to spend big this summer. So far, it hasn’t quite gone that way.

The need to rebuild

The biggest compliment you can pay to Daniel Levy is that since the chaos of Conte, he has made a sustained effort to bring back the joy of Tottenham that so many fans associate with the club.

All of a sudden, Spurs have began to assemble one of the most exciting young squads in Europe.

There has been big restructuring too. Scott Munn has arrived as chief football operator, Johan Lange as a technical director from Aston Villa, and it has been widely reported the club consult Fabio Paratici on a regular basis despite his football ban.

During this time, the club managed to move on many of the players who had reached their peak at the club long ago. Eric Dier was moved on to Bayern Munich in January, Pierre-Emile Hojberg left the club this week in a move to Marseille, and Tanguy Ndombele had his contract terminated at the start of the summer.

What could still happen in this transfer window?

The defence is certainly an area where it feels that Tottenham need to improve. They shipped 61 goals last season and looked fragile throughout. The club did well to recruit the services of Romanian centre back Radu Dragusin in January, but there are still issues at full back.

With Emerson Royal there are huge question marks when it comes to his suitability within the squad. The Brazilian has had a tough time at Spurs.

Initially signed as a defensive right-back under Nuno, converted to a make-shift attacking wingback under Conte, before finally being asked to transform into an inverted full-back under Ange.

Throughout his spells under the above three managers, Royal has shown that he is uncomfortable on the ball and simply doesn’t have the technical ability required.

Spurs will struggle to recoup the £25 million fee paid for him in 2021, but there is genuine interest surrounding his signature, with both AC Milan and Galatasaray circling.

A similar situation concerns Sergio Reguilon. Spurs will struggle to get back even half of the £30 million they spent on him. Despite having no potential suitors currently, the Spaniard impressed at Manchester United last season and having been left in England to pursue a move, there is little chance he will be at the club next season.

At the start of the summer, the club had been linked with Monaco right-back, Vanderson. However after Djed Spence’s impressive start to pre-season, it looks like there could be a future at Tottenham for him after all, and with European football next season squad depth could be crucial.

The midfield

Midfield is a tricky area for Spurs. Although this is a position where there seems to be good depth (Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur are three quality players fighting for two midfield places), it felt like an all action, box-to-box destroyer in midfield was going to be signed.

Of course there is still time; the departure of Hojberg combined with the fact that Postecoglou clearly doesn’t fancy Oliver Skipp as an option means that no doubt Spurs will be sniffing around the market.

However, this is one of the most sought after positions in modern football and, at this time, any player Spurs do go after will come at a heavy premium.

Tottenham chose not to pursue a deal for Amadou Onana, who has now signed for Aston Villa. His technical profile, physical frame and the fact he is still only 22 would make you think he would have slotted seamlessly into the side.

Of course with Villa, Champions League football was likely a factor in his decision to head to the Midlands, and Postecoglou himself has stated many times that he is not interested in players solely motivated by the Champions League games.

Spurs have been heavily linked with Jacob Ramsey from Villa too, in a deal that would potentially see Giovanni Lo Celso heading the other way.

Ramsey isn’t quite a lone ‘6’, but he would be a welcome addition to the squad, bringing bags of energy and having a high ceiling.

Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher has also been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham over the last two seasons and has just one year left on his deal.

For Lo Celso, his time at Spurs should be ending this summer. His injury record is poor and it is another move, similar to Ndombele, that just hasn’t worked out.

However, there has been signing that Tottenham have managed to get over the line. 18 year old Archie Gray was signed for 40 million pounds from Leeds United this month. Gray is versatile and can play both midfield and at right-back, but has also featured as a centre back this pre-season.

With Gray what is most striking is his resistance to the press. He first caught the national eye in an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea this season, effortlessly controlling the game.

Leeds fans reckon they have lost a superstar, and hopefully Spurs fan will get to see plenty of Gray during the Europa League campaign if not the Premier League.

Questions over Spurs firepower: Werner not the long term answer

It is well known that Postecoglou’s style relies on his wingers having an intense directness to their play, as well as being imperious in the 1v1 duels with dribbles and take-ons. The wide areas are crucial when playing inverted full-backs, and it was the side's weakest area last season with Dejan Kulusevski in particular struggling at times.

Brennan Johnson came in and performed well, especially in terms of output when playing on the right hand side. His place in the side seems assured next season; he was a big investment and will only improve.

The left wing is trickier. Both Son and Richarlison played the role to a decent level last season, but it wasn’t until Timo Werner arrived that there was real consistency there in terms of a starting name.

Werner is not the answer long term. His extended loan is a win-win for Spurs, but the club needs to be looking to spend big in this area.

This is a key area that Spurs will look to strengthen on, and this week, Postecoglou said “what we [Tottenham] started with at the start of the summer is still there”, suggesting that their targets are still available and are being worked on.

The strongest rumour has been 18 year old Rennes wonderkid Desire Doue. A week or so ago it looked like Spurs might have a clear run at the Frenchman, but with heavy interest from PSG and Bayern Munich, it is hard to see how his head wouldn’t be turned.

The biggest name out there linked with Tottenham is Eberechi Eze.

The Crystal Palace forward has a £60 million release clause and is signed to CAA Base Agency, who represent Spurs’ Maddison, Son, Sarr and Pedro Porro.

Eze would be the dream signing: dynamic, skillful and a joy to watch - there is no Tottenham fan who would say no to this one. Of course that means Palace would be equally desperate to keep hold of their man - especially after selling Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.

It might be optimistic, but if Levy and Spurs are ready to pay the big up-front fee Palace are demanding then this should be a relatively straightforward one to pull off.

Pedro Neto is another name rumoured to be under consideration. His pace is frightening and he is without doubt one of the best 1v1 dribblers in the league. Against him is his injury record, the forward missed five months of the campaign last year with two separate hamstring issues.

Set to be confirmed as signed is Yan Min-hyuk, an 18 year old South Korean winger. Having only played professionally for a few months, he will join in January 2025, with an exciting and quickly growing reputation.

The Richarlison question

Richarlison seemed a sure fit when he was signed from Everton in 2022, but it has just never got going for him.

There are two ways of looking at this one.

The first is that Spurs probably overpaid quite heavily with Richarlison at £60 million, his injury record is not the most flattering, and even when he was scoring it sometimes looked a bit square peg in round hole-ish.

The Brazilian can be petulant at times, making him reckless or sometimes simply anonymous during a game. There has not been much concrete interest in Richarlison other than tenuous links to Saudi Arabia, but if a team from the Saudi Pro League was to come in and offer even £40 million, then it is something Tottenham would have to surely consider.

The second is that last season was such an improvement on the first, that Richarlison deserves another season at it. On balance, he played the role to the best level last of anyone season. Unlike Son he is a natural striker, and his scintillating form on either side of Christmas gave us all a glimpse at what we could have.

But does Richarlison provide enough for a team that says they want to "create history"? Goals are gold. Arsenal have found out the hard way, back to back, what the value of guaranteed goal output is in a title race that is usually decided by such fine margins.

Options could include Ivan Toney, who is the name that has been touted most, along with Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. Toney would be the likelier of the two; he has one year left on his deal and has been publicly speaking of his desire to challenge himself at a higher level.

His specific style is not particularly suited to Ange-ball as he is not great in the press, but the idea of starting the season with a Toney plus Richarlison is a lovely one - however wishful that might be.

Though it is hard to see another striker coming in if Richarlison does not depart.

Looking forward

There is no bedlam just yet at Spurs. The board have earned trust from the fans with the acquisitions they have made in recent years, but the clock is certainly ticking.

Of course no deal is easy, but Tottenham will be shooting themselves in the foot if they choose to delay all of their big business until the season starts. Spurs fans saw last year, with Maddison, just how positive a pre-season can be for a player to hit the ground running.