Tottenham: Pretender to Contender - July 17/18

Preseason

We will participate in the Champions Cup. The tournament consists of mainly North and South American teams, as the tournament is located in Brazil. The English press has slammed us, saying a “cakewalk competition” was chosen to make the team look better following last year’s 5th place EPL finish. However, the scenery around (and perhaps weak opposition) won’t protect the players from the scrutiny of a new manager seeking at least top 4 this year.

Ponte Preta (H) W (1-0)

(4-2-3-1 wide) Lloris; Walker-Peters, Davies, Carter-Vickers, Trippier; Dier, Winks, Lamela, Onomah, Son; Kane

With backups occupying the central 3 in midfield (Dier, Winks, Onomah), build-up was out of sync. At Ajax, mainly through balls and some tiki-taka was used. However this strategy didn’t work. The scoring opened when Son whipped a ball into the box to find the head of….Lamela. He dove in to score, evidently knowing his worth at the club under test.

Tigres (A) (2-1)

(4-2-3-1 wide) Lloris; Rose, Vertonghen, Dier, Walker-Peters; Wanyama, Alli; Nkoudou, Eriksen, Sissoko; Janssen

Janssen proves himself with a goal, assist, and strong hold-up play up top. He’s in the mold of Kane and now cemented his place in the team. Concern about Dier’s pace arose as he failed to come up and close a ball down in time, leading a Tigres striker being sent through on goal. Vertonghen made a desperation challenge to prevent a certain goal and was sent off. Carter-Vickers came on and helped see the win out.

Boca Juniors (H) W (1-0)

(4-2-3-1 wide) Lloris; Davies, Dier, Alderweireld, Walker; Trippier, Dembele; Nkoudou, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Walker’s cross found the volley of Lamela to find the only goal. Lamela fought through two defenders to reach the ball, solidifying his starting spot this season. He’s shown great resolve and exceeded expectations. Otherwise we hit the woodwork three times, one by yet another Lamela header. We hope for more clinical finishing, but understand the focus has been on experimentation (hence Trippier in CDM this game).

Semifinal
St. Etienne (H) W (4-0)
(4-2-3-1 wide) Lloris; Rose, Davies, Dier, Walker-Peters; Wanyama, Alli; Son, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Solid victory came with a more established group. Bar the defensive back line, the expected starters played so the manager could see where the team’s weaknesses lied ahead of upcoming transfers. The attacks flowed well, culminating in goals for Wanyama, Lamela (his 3rd of tournament), Eriksen, and substitute Onomah. The future shone bright when the last goal featured an early cross from Walker-Peters which found Onomah’s head, sealing the victory beyond doubt.

Final
Villarreal (A) W (3-1)
(4-2-3-1 wide) Lloris; Davies, Dier, Carter-Vickers, Walker; Trippier, Dembele; Nkoudou, Alli, Sissoko; Janssen

The second string squad (with slight alterations) was tested with bringing home the trophy. They were reminded of the embarrassment that’d follow if they failed, to see if they could handle the pressure of the EPL & Europa League. We opened the scoring through a corner which Janssen headed home. Villarreal equalized after Carter-Vickers lost his man during a cross. Then in the 63rd minute Sissoko pushed the ball past his defender, struck the ball off the post, then was taken down by the goalie trying to score on the second try. Janssen coverted the penalty. Europa League winners Villarreal brought the goalie up for a corner in hopes of a stoppage time equalizer, but were hit off a breakaway that Janssen completed his hat trick off of.

Transfer Window

Out:
CB Kevin Wimmer -> Leicester City (30 mil) - Wimmer impressed the Spurs coaching staff last season as a potential starter for the future. However, he could not refuse an offer to become one now. On paper Leicester appear to have overspent but they received a quality defender.

In:
RB/CB Joel Veltman (14 mil, Ajax) - An absolute force in the back and proven leader, he stepped up to take the captain’s armband when Klaassen left for Bayern Munich last December. He did not buckle under pressure when competing Champions League Final as he scored our only goal and kept us in the game. This tenacity and determination he shows will suit us well as we challenge for top 4 against quality opposition.
CM Youri Tielemans (19 mil, RSC Anderlecht) - My scouts put extensive notes concerning Tielemans on my desk when I arrived from Amsterdam, raving about the Belgian’s passing and work ethic. He will have time to grow into the CM spot. I’m told he will be a future star for the club.
LM Thomas Lemar (42 mil, AS Monaco) - The fans immediately flocked to the club store to grab a Lemar jersey upon this announcement. However, for a second, ignore the price tag. He will not be guaranteed a starting spot from the beginning. There’s time for him to grow before taking on the spotlight and a competition with Heung-Min Son ahead. Still the coaches are excited about his upcoming impact on the club, just don’t want him to be weighed down by the transfer fee.

Expected Starting XI:

Lloris
Rose-Vertonghen-Alderweireld-Walker
Alli-Wanyama
Lemar-Eriksen-Lamela
Kane

Expected Second String:

Vorm
Davies-Dier-Veltman-Trippier
Tielemans-Dembele
Son-Onomah-Nkoudou
Janssen

Kyle Walker, Federico Fazio, and Moussa Sissoko have been told they have permission to leave the club if/when an offer comes in for them. Toby Alderweireld will be available too, but prospective clubs must offer a substantial transfer fee. Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Danny Rose, and Hugo Lloris are unavailable regardless. We’ve been linked with Matthias Ginter and Serge Aurier as potential replacements for Alderweireld and Walker respectively.