Tottenham Hotspur finished an unbeaten preseason in style with a 1-0 win over archrival Arsenal in a north London derby, so what did we learn about the Spurs?
It may be preseason and have been classified a friendly but there was little friendly going on between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on Sunday in Spurs win. It was not quite a game from the 1980s but there were a lot of rough tackles and some physical play as the north London neighbors squared off for charity. So what can we take away from the win with the regular season fast approaching?
Dele is not done at Tottenham, yet
He did not score but Dele Alli came close on three occasions against Arsenal. Hitting the post twice and not quite connecting on a header late, Dele was in the right position but the ball did not bounce his way. On a different day maybe Dele has a brace and everyone is super excited.
It is positive to see him again in positions that are dangerous for the opposition but it is unfortunate he was not converting. Ultimately, the greatest strength Dele has is likely that of a goalscorer. His ability to time runs and create something out of almost nothing is remarkable.
Now whether all we get are some runs and some close calls or a player who is back on it, scoring, and making a difference remains to be seen. The one thing we know is if Dele is not successful it is not from a lack of trying. Of course, we know from Yoda, it is “do or do not”, there is no try, so Dele is either going to do and come good again or his days at Tottenham are truly numbered.
Japhet Tanganga has a role to play in the Tottenham defense
There have been some rumors that Japhet Tanganga may be on his way to Turkey and that may well still happen if more transfers come in. However, barring any more additions to the Tottenham defense, it would appear that Tanganga has a role it is just unclear where.
Japhet started each of the last three preseason matches, all in different positions. Tanganga has started as the left-sided center-half, the right-sided center-half, and most recently as the right fullback. Tanganga was solid at both of the center-half positions and good against Arsenal as a right back.
It was Tanganga’s aggressiveness in the attacking third that led to the ball’s recovery for the goal. Not only did Japhet help get the ball back, then he made the run and held off his defender enough to play the pass into Heung-Min Son for the only goal of the match.
With Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez returning as well as the addition of Cristian Romero, it seems more likely than not that Tanganga is going to have to make it as a fullback this season. Based on his performance against Arsenal where Tanganga showed strength, skill, and awareness on that play, and if we see more of that, one of Matt Doherty or Serge Aurier truly will be expendable.
Lo Celso is going to have a big season for Spurs
He did not play all that long and it was his first minutes of the preseason coming off the Copa America triumph with Argentina but it is clear Giovani Lo Celso is ready to be a difference-maker. Always willing to stick his nose in defensively, this looks like it should be the year where things come together for Lo Celso in the Premier League and he can make his mark.
His pre-assist for the goal was a true thing of beauty. First, it was Lo Celso helping Tanganga recover the ball, then as he pulled the defense toward him with the ball at his feet, Gio played an inventive little scoop/chip between the defenders to put Tanganga behind the defense in very tight space.
A ball on the ground would have been intercepted by the defense and a real pass in the air would have gone out of bounds. Instead, Gio showed the touch of a golfer flopping the ball in the green from the bunker.
Yes, it was only one pass and one play but the vision and skill to pull that off was something special and hopefully is a sign of more good things to come from Lo Celso.
We love Pierre-Emile Højbjerg at Tottenham
We would be remiss not to mention one of the best parts of the match, which was the Viking having a little chat with Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta. Arteta was a bit closer to the touchline than Højbjerg wanted and the Dane let the Gunners coach know.
What was surprising about that was then Arteta decided to clap back at Højbjerg. Who knows what exactly he said but Pierre seemed to be having none of it walking directly over to Arteta who was trying to shush the Spurs midfielder.
As Højbjerg walked over and held out his hand to try and settle things Arteta backed away into the technical area where he started yapping some more. There is no doubt he was not expecting the Dane to come back at him and it should make for a nice little storyline when the sides meet in September.
https://hotspurhq.com/2021/08/10/takeaways-tottenham-arsenal-preseason/
