Editor’s note: As mentioned in the match report yesterday, in a departure from our usual structure I’ve elaborated on some talking points based on observations I made at the ground as well as a match report; as such, I’ve done some deeper analysis rather than the high-level talking points we might typically cover.
Tottenham Hotspur concluded their Antipodean tour with a last-gasp victory against London rivals Chelsea in front of a packed house at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Strong sides named by Roberto De Zerbi and Xabi Alonso brought an intensity to the match not yet seen this preseason, with both sides balancing desire for victory with the need to focus on preparations for the upcoming season.
Any best-laid plans went out the window though as Kevin Danso was red carded early in the second half while scores were level, causing a change in approach for both teams. Chelsea tried to make their numbers advantage count, but it was Spurs who came out on top 2-1 as Richarlison knocked in a dramatic late winner.
Here’s a deep dive into a few things I took away from Spurs’ final Australian preseason fixture.
1. Battle of the (Sydney Harbour) Bridge
There’s a reason rival sides typically don’t play each other in preseason (though it is starting to happen more and more thanks to $$$). Preseason is supposed to be about fitness, tactics, and getting a look at the players in the wider squad; not about winning – though that is sometimes an added bonus. Introducing a rivalry changes all of that, with fans and players alike strongly motivated to push for victory, even at the expense of preparation.
There was a strong feeling in the crowd as the different groups of fans traded off songs and boos as players were announced, and once the match kicked off it was clear the fixture would be anything but friendly. The referee swallowed his whistle early on as Spurs were on the receiving end of a couple of robust tackles, and that lack of control by the officials very quickly allowed things to escalate with Spurs largely being the ones driving the provocation.
A robust challenge by Marco Palestra on Gallagher signified the start of the lift in intensity, before Dominic Solanke left an elbow on Levi Colwill as he pressured the center back. Jan Paul van Hecke clearly relished the physicality as well, making it his personal mission to marshal Joao Pedro, going in hard on the Brazilian on a couple of occasions before Andy Robertson also clattered Palestra. There were questions levied at Alasdair Gold by some of the Chelsea press along the lines of, “What’s wrong with Spurs?” as the Lilywhites clearly played aggressor, letting their frustrations out on the opposition players (his response was, “They’re just letting the Chelsea players know they’re there!”).
That all came to a head when Conor Gallagher went in heavily on Dario Essugo late and with two feet. It was a challenge that was arguably one of those “orange card” situations, the only thing saving the Englishman the lack of studs-up contact and the friendly nature of the encounter (which had gone down the drain approximately 30 minutes earlier). There was a coming together from both teams with pushing and shoving and finger pointing – a clash full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
On any other day, things could have escalated further from there, and in some ways they did, as Kevin Danso was shown a red card early in the second half as he clumsily let a back pass run before dragging down Pedro, who was through on goal. That expulsion though actually caused the intensity to deflate like a balloon, with Spurs forced to play on the back foot and keep things tight, and the players noticeably less willing to dive in to compete for 50-50 challenges.
That threw a spanner in the works for the preparations for both sides, but in some ways was a good thing: the way events had been progressing in the first half it felt like injuries were inevitable as both sides took pot shots at opposition ankles. That’s exactly what you don’t want in preseason, and it’s why you don’t want to line up rivals for these fixtures. The desire to compete and win can override any sense of self-preservation and then you end up with injured players going into the season.
No thanks (even though I acknowledge that it was an incredible experience for the fans!)
2. Archie Gray: Right back?
At the risk of a spoiler alert, the answer to that question is a resounding no.
Archie Gray’s positional flexibility has been both a blessing and a curse in his Spurs career up until this point. He has a fantastic football IQ and decent technical skills, allowing him to slot into almost any position and make a good fist of it. Unfortunately, that has come at the cost of dedicated development in any of those roles. Thankfully, last season we saw Gray begin to settle into more of a consistent role in the middle of the park and the young Englishman start to show glimpses of the player he could become.
Spurs, though, still have a depth issue at fullback, one that has been exacerbated on this tour due to the unavailability of Djed Spence and Pedro Porro (World Cup duties), as well as Destiny Udogie (injury). This has meant a heavy reliance on academy players Tye Hall and Rio Kyerematen, ostensibly central midfielders, to deputize in those roles; but against Chelsea, it was clear Roberto De Zerbi wanted more experience in that position: hence, Archie Gray back at right back once more.
Deploying midfielders in the fullback roles is something De Zerbi has utilized quite frequently on previous occasions, especially at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he at times would line up Pascal Gross or Jack Hinshelwood in inverted roles. The thinking is that their relative level of technical ability on the ball compared to a standard fullback allows them to tuck in and act as another press resistant ball recipient in the middle of the park, enabling further fluid rotations as part of the third man build-up tactic, and drawing defenses out of shape. It’s also a role Rio Kyerematen (who, like I mentioned above, is a midfielder) performed exceedingly well against Sydney FC in midweek.
For Gray, though, it didn’t quite work. Lucas Bergvall often ended up drifting into the right-side half-spaces due to Conor Gallagher dropping deep on the left, leaving limited space for Gray to utilize in possession, and going forward he struggled to create space for attacking passes and crosses around the box. Additionally, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, and Joao Pedro often worked in tandem to overload Spurs’ right edge with Gray given limited support by Solomon in defense, pinning Spurs’ captain back in his defensive third.
Gittens and Pedro especially gave Gray a torrid time, often getting past him easily on a number of occasions that Spurs were lucky did not result in Chelsea goals. Thankfully, late on Gray was shifted into the center of the pitch as Tye Hall and Rio Kyerematen were brought on, and immediately looked miles more comfortable. His positioning and anticipation were key to breaking up a number of Chelsea attacks, and his willingness to both disrupt the Chelsea buildup and look forward in attack were core to Spurs’ winning goal.
It’s nice for Archie to have a few strings to his bow, and I’m sure he’ll get called upon to fill various roles where needed as the season progresses; but here’s hoping he can see more time in the middle of the park. It’s there where his future lies, and he’s been excellent there through preseason thus far.
Look, it feels a little pessimistic to focus on the negative areas of what was really an impressive Spurs performance. There are plenty of positive takeaways: Hardy and Kyerematen were fantastic once more, as was Mathys Tel; Jan Paul van Hecke and Ben Davies were solid in defense; and Antonin Kinsky put in an heroic performance between the posts. It was also a fantastic, backs-against-the-wall performance with ten men, from which Spurs somehow secured a win against Chelsea with a 90th minute winner. That doesn’t often happen!
That said, there were a few shaky performances as well. As mentioned in my match report, Sandro Tonali looks far from a £100 million player. Let’s start with the positives: his goal was well struck; his movement was good; and his defensive positioning was generally excellent. Unfortunately, there were quite a few negatives, one of which was his touch, which was atrociously heavy for a central midfielder in Roberto De Zerbi’s system. He struggled receiving the ball under pressure, and his passing limitations were clear to see.
At times, he was guilty of trying to do too much as well, at one point dribbling into the midst of four Chelsea players in a moment you could clearly see was a disaster waiting to happen. Sure enough, he was dispossessed (though arguably by being fouled) and Estevao was one on one with Kinsky. It’s early on in his Spurs career, but you do expect more; will he succumb to the pressure of the price tag? Maybe I’m being too harsh (he wasn’t the worst on the pitch by far), but that’s the criticism his transfer fee will engender.
And that takes us to two other poor performers, and my main point: Andy Robertson and Dominic Solanke. Both put in absolute stinkers on the pitch, and for both it was their first start of the tour – so what do these performances tell us really? Are these performances lacking due to lack of player quality / form; or is it just shaking off the rust, and we can expect more once the season begins?
Robertson really struggled in possession. He made a couple of awful passes that created attacks from nothing for Chelsea, and though he was generally solid defensively down his edge, his losing of both Estevao and the flight of the ball for Chelsea’s goal was woefully poor defending. His crossing and passing around the box however was a positive, but he will need to offer more than that to be at a level Spurs need; especially given Destiny Udogie’s injury record and Djed Spence’s limitations in build-up on the left.
As for Solanke, he was… a non-entity. So much so, in fact, that when after a 90th minute winner and close to 45 minutes defending with only ten men, the press corps were informed he would be the player interviewed at the post-match press conference, there was an audible groan. His touch was that of late-stage Emmanuel Adebayor, and the things he is supposed to be good at (pressing, hold-up, and linking with attackers) was almost non-existent; Richarlison, for whom these are not typically strengths, outperformed the Englishman. It’s a real fall from grace for a striker who just recently was Spurs’ record signing.
As I said above, though, the hope is that these are teething problems, and just a case of preseason rust. After all, there’s only so much you can read into these performances. Can they step up when the need arises?
Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.
