Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 TSG Hoffenheim: Top 10 talking points (again)

Tottenham Hotspur concluded an unbeaten preseason campaign with a 2-2 draw against TSG Hoffenheim.

Following yesterday’s 3-0 win against the Bundesliga side, this was a more casual affair with the match held at Spurs’ training ground as Roberto De Zerbi named a heavily rotated side. It was the visitors who opened the scoring via a penalty, as James Maddison dragged down Leon Avdullahu, before Spurs struck twice before half-time courtesy of Ben Davies and Luca Williams-Barnett. An equalizer by The Kraichgauers as Valentin Gendry smashed home a volley was the lone goal of the second half.

Here are my top ten talking points from Spurs’ final match of preseason against TSG Hoffenheim (again).

As predicted in yesterday’s takeaways piece, many of the players that had either been absent this preseason or had seen limited involvement thus far were named in today’s XI. James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Souza, and Damola Ajayi made their first appearances of preseason, with Kevin Danso and Mateus Fernandes returning to the side after having limited involvement.

It was a promising sign for the strength of the coming weekend’s squad, with De Zerbi potentially having a deeper set of players from which to choose a more well-rounded side.

You could’ve been forgiven for looking at the side named though and wondering what in the name of Pep Guardiola was Robert De Zerbi thinking as he named approximately 10 central midfielders in his XI. Okay, not quite, but it was an unusual lineup with three players who you would classify as a CM in the XI, and two attacking midfielders, with one winger and no striker.

Instead though of playing some unusual and exotic formation, De Zerbi stuck largely to what was nominally his preferred 4-2-3-1, with Fernandes and Bentancur in midfield, Sarr at the flanked by Luca Williams-Barnett and Ajayi, and Maddison in a false role. Maddison especially looked not totally comfortable in his position, spending a lot of time dropping into deeper areas to try aid buildup, with Sarr at times doing the same. That said, it wasn’t the worst way to try get all these players minutes, and it was forced in part by the lack of options available to De Zerbi.

It’s concerning that Micky van de Ven is still to play a single minute in preseason. Though some in Spurs’ squad have had some (apparently minor) injuries, such as Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie (with information on the latter not exactly forthcoming), van de Ven’s absence has been more of a mystery.

Though he was a late returnee to the club following his appearances for Netherlands at the World Cup, his involvement there ended earlier than some players who have already made appearances, and the worry given his injury history will be he is carrying some sort of knock. It’s becoming more and more difficult to think otherwise, and Spurs will be worse off for not having come the start of the season.

Not too dissimilarly to yesterday’s fixture, Hoffenheim pressed high, seemingly aware of Spurs’ penchant to play out from the back as they attempted to capitalize on Spurs mistakes. Hoffenheim seemed to especially target Tye Hall at right back, as well as Brandon Austin.

Both of those players were arguably less comfortable on the ball than their teammates, often being rushed into poor decisions and giveaways. At times, Hoffenheim would wait for Austin to try pass the ball into midfield before triggering their press to immediately pounce on anything even slightly loose. It was that tactic that created their opening goal.

It was fantastic having James Maddison back in a limited manner through the run-in last season. Even though he wasn’t quite fit, he made up for that with his passing ability, a skill that was painfully absent through most of the rest of the squad.

Today, he demonstrated a similar level of rust, struggling at times to make an impact on the match but popping up here and there to play a clever pass. The rust was once more evident, however, as he was pressured by Leon Avdullahu as he dropped deep to receive a pass from Brandon Austin. Avdullahu robbed Maddison of possession, with the Englishman then dragging down the Hoffenheim winger to concede a penalty, which was duly dispatched by Adam Hlozek. Maddison will need some time to get back up to the level of match sharpness Spurs will need.

Mateus Fernandes is known for being an aggressive passer of the ball, but that wasn’t on full display in the first half of this match. What was impressive, though, was his delivery around the box. An early low cross from the right was inches in front of an onrushing Sarr, before his one-two from a corner kick before crossing into the box created Ben Davies’ headed goal.

In the second half, however, things started to open up a little and we got to see more of Fernandes’ passing range. Some of his crossfield balls were sumptuous, as he stretched Hoffenheim with driven and looped passes from on side of the pitch to the other. That ability to pick out a pass could be key for Spurs’ hopes this coming campaign, given their lack of ability in that department last season.

Brandon Austin was impressive today, making a couple of key saves. A sharp stop at the near post kept out a Nathan De Cat flick-on, before he made an excellent intervention as Adam Daghim bore down on goal, essentially one-on-one with Austin.

It was a solid display by Spurs’ third choice keeper, and there’s an argument that between he, Martin Dubravka, and Antonin Kinsky, though Spurs arguably don’t have an elite-level keeper in the bunch (though Kinsky could reach those heights), they are potentially the most well-rounded goalkeeping trio in the Premier League. And that’s without even taking into account Guglielmo Vicario!

Luca Williams-Barnett was arguably the best player on the pitch in what was a rather messy match. He regularly beat Vladimir Coufal on the dribble with ease, but what was impressive is his learnings following the likes of the Sydney FC fixture: rather than keep going, head down, and look for a goal, his decision-making and passing once initially beating his marker was much improved with some crisp, incisive passes helping create for his teammates.

It was yet another impressive display by the teenager, and that’s before talking about his well-taken goal. After a fantastic Sarr dribble to avoid the attentions of Albian Hajdari, he met Sarr’s reverse ball first time, passing it into the back of the Hoffenheim net to ensure a half-time lead for the Lilywhites. Though it’s too early for Williams-Barnett to head out on loan, these sorts of displays could see him get minutes with the senior team this season; especially with the relative lack of depth in attacking positions.

Though De Zerbi has utilized the academy extensively through preseason, most of the names and faces have been familiar to those reasonably well-versed in the U-21 setup. That changed today.

One player named on the bench, Mikel Jack, didn’t even have a squad number, with the 15-year-old the son of former Trinidadian keeper Kelvin Jack; and two other youngsters in the shape of Reiss Elliot-Parris and “Do you believe in” Miracle(s) Adewole graced us with their presence for the first time in Lilywhite. Neither made much of a meaningful impact on the match, but seeing two 18-year-olds step onto the pitch for the senior squad is always heartwarming.

Once more it was clear that the priority was building fitness: match readiness for those returning from injury, and full 90-minute match fitness for those further along in their preparations. As such, Maddison departed from the pitch early, subbing off at half-time for Elliot-Parris (who at least was an actual striker), before Souza and Ajayi, both also returning from injury, left the field around the 70-minute mark.

What was deeply encouraging was summer signing Mateus Fernandes going the distance, with Sarr and Williams-Barnett the only others to be subbed off, playing the majority of the match. With mostly one match a week this season and the strategic approach to managing minutes through preseason, it seems Spurs are well-prepared from a fitness point-of-view at least to bring the fight this coming campaign.

Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.