The August sun shone as Tottenham Hotspur impressively defeated their prestigious Italian pre-season opposition. Their Spanish-speaking boss looked on encouraged—one of his new signings had scored and the others too looked to be integrating well with the talented players already at the club.
Tottenham’s 5-0 win over Roma in August 2008 excitingly concluded unbeaten preparations for the year ahead. Yet, just over two months later, their manager Juande Ramos was sacked and the team sat bottom of the Premier League, winless.
That summer should be an eternal reminder to Tottenham supporters that all pre-season results, good or bad, should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nevertheless, for Mauricio Pochettino, his side’s 6-1 thrashing of Internazionale on Friday—also swap Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion for White Hart Lane and Vincent Janssen for David Bentley as the scoring new recruit—was noteworthy enough in its execution to pique serious interest in them heading into next weekend’s opener against Everton (Bleacher Report and “Leonardo Di Caprio’s” reaction below).
Unlike in 2008, Tottenham are in a more stable position.
While Ramos’ side were coming off a League Cup success, they finished that season poorly and also ended the transfer window without two of their best players, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane. The summer’s still-expensive recruitment drive left them short in attack and also failed to replace less glamorous but valuable efficient performers let go such as Steed Malbranque and Teemu Tainio.
In the present, Pochettino’s Tottenham are coming off a much stronger campaign, albeit one that ended in disappointing fashion. They are unlikely to lose anyone they do not want to from their squad either, star names or role players.
That is one of the benefits of mounting a title challenge and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
The latter was barely given a thought in the midst of the former. Now the return to the competition beckons, excitement is increasing at the prospect of this Spurs team pitting itself against some of European football’s elite again.
This friendly against Inter Milan naturally brought up memories of the north London club’s encounters with the then-reigning champions back in the 2010-11 tournament’s group stage. Gareth Bale‘s reputation-enhancing displays in the 4-3 San Siro loss and the 3-1 win at White Hart Lane are still rightly recognised as some of the finest seen in a Lilywhite shirt (see below).
Should they tap into the same vein of combativeness they utilised to dispatch the current Nerazzurri crop, Spurs may be set to create more fondly recalled memories, both in domestic and European competition.
Of course, the north Londoners playing this way is not a new development.
Striving to impose their will on the opposition was integral to their progression last season. The essential argument being proactive nearly always increases your chances of winning more than being reactive does.
It is not a flawless approach.
It manifested in ugly fashion against Chelsea in May, provocations from the imminently deposed champions transforming Spurs’ aggressive focus into reckless and counter-productive fouling.
There were examples on Friday of the risks closing down and attacking in numbers can create. Ivan Perisic’s equaliser partly resulted from Erik Lamela leaving space behind him on the right flank when Dele Alli lost the ball.
Mostly, though, it is evocative of the famous quote and unofficial club philosophy from legendary Tottenham captain Danny Blanchflower, of “about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom” (the team’s general robustness, if not some individuals’ occasional tendency for theatrics would also please Blanchflower’s team-mate and successor as skipper, the formidable Dave Mackay).
The meeting with Inter was Spurs’ first of pre-season with the majority of their first-team squad back. It was still essentially a training exercise (as most friendlies are), but with the season proper so close, there was an extra urgency, incentive and quality that last week’s International Champions Cup matches with Juventus and Atletico Madrid unsurprisingly lacked in comparison.
“It was important to finish our pre-season in a very positive way and important to win,” Pochettino told Spurs’ official website after. “It was the first time the players involved in the Euros played and it was fantastic to see them all together.”
These are the foremost practitioners of his footballing philosophy. Most have at least a year’s experience of performing to its requirements, and those new to it like Janssen and Victor Wanyama (the midfielder missed out against Inter because of visa issues) have been signed with their suitability to it in mind.
“It’s true we need to analyse the game and improve in certain areas but I’m pleased with everything, very happy,” Pochettino added of their win. “The performance was good but in football, you can’t stop, you have to try to improve every day.”
Missing out on the title last season and the desire to compete for it again should see Spurs commit to this improvement. There was certainly a spark to the efforts of a couple of the club’s England international contingent.
Conviction in his finishing is part of what makes Harry Kane such a lethal striker. But there was a certain viciousness to the way he struck the lead-taking penalty against Inter (above) that suggested he enjoyed expressing some of the frustration pent up from a frustrating Euro 2016 experience.
There is nothing muddled about Kane’s role and instructions with Spurs. The team looks to get him involved, and he in turn does everything he can to ensure those efforts are not in vain.
If half-time substitute Janssen’s impact off the bench is anything to go by, Kane will have even more help.
Janssen (more on him later) playing ahead meant/means Kane could participate earlier in the team’s attacks, unlike last season when his dropping deeper sometimes left Spurs without someone to occupy the opposition defence. For his second goal, he had space ahead of him on the break because the Dutchman’s leftward run took two defenders with him.
Spurs fans will have welcomed the pleasing familiarity of Kane getting about the pitch with purpose, looking like the player who has become their club’s talisman and not the lost shadow toiling at the European Championships.
Alli’s performance also suggested a player unshackled and relishing the true freedom not allowed him by Roy Hodgson this summer.
His goal (above) to make it 3-1 was another example of what we may soon come to recognise as classic Alli. Too quick in his thinking and movement to be contained by the opposition midfield, the shot via a Janssen layoff was placed perfectly beyond Samir Handanovic’s reach.
Alli took a little while to shake off the rust from his post-Euro 2016 break, something he admitted to his club’s website after. Losses of possession in addition to the one that led to Perisic’s goal were joined by a couple of fouls that spoke of his lingering impetuousness.
By the second half, Alli was something closer to his best, inquisitive in his runs and sharp in his passing. Had he not stumbled, the charge through Inter’s ranks that led to Janssen scoring Spurs’ fifth might have turned into a fine solo effort of his own.
“It was good to blow the cobwebs off and get some minutes,” he reflected on his first game back. “Like I said, we’re all ready and raring to go for Everton now.”
The other mainstays and squad players from last season largely played like they were raring to go, too.
Eric Dier typically aspired to dominate in midfield while his first-half partner Ryan Mason played with a well-rounded functionality that was worryingly absent at the back end of 2015-16.
Tom Carroll, Christian Eriksen and Harry Winks all sought to create and shape proceedings while Lamela’s latest all-action display—including an excellent long-range goal (see below)—bodes well moving forward.
The work of the full-backs was more mixed, with Cristian Ansaldi and Perisic particularly finding space to cross on Spurs’ right. But last season’s fans-voted player of the year Toby Alderweireld, playing in a more unfamiliar left-sided centre-back spot, led the efforts to ensure Inter did not get much further.
Like with those games against Juve and Atletico in Australia, the new and younger faces performing proficiently in his templates will also have been heartening to Pochettino.
If Janssen plays as he did here in the Premier League, he will be a heck of a signing.
His goal was well-taken, but most eye-catching was the way he stood his ground against the Inter defence. Buoyed by the greater service provided by Spurs’ returning players, he backed into them, side-stepped, pivoted and did whatever he could to keep play ticking along.
Their first experience playing together went well, but when Kane went off shortly after the hour mark, Janssen took it upon himself to make sure Spurs did not lose out in their buildup play, always remembering to make sure he got back up amongst the Italian club’s defenders after.
Janssen’s assist for Shayon Harrison’s win-sealing goal was sadly not included in the highlights package below. But make no mistake, his determination in winning the ball out right, opening the final third up ahead and then picking out Lamela who proceeded to make the assist was advanced level stuff in the centre-forward textbook.
Harrison’s positioning for his goal spoke well of his understanding for such territory, too. Further back, fellow academy man Winks again impressed in midfield while Cameron Carter-Vickers performed confidently at centre-back once more.
Earlier on he had some difficulty defending the right side and was unable to get across in time to stop Perisic’s goal. From there, however, the 19-year-old began to find his feet, well supported by the guiding Alderweireld.
Inter striker Mauro Icardi barely had a sight of goal as Carter-Vickers hounded him off the ball. In possession himself, the USA youth international was tidy and sensible, rightly choosing to clear a couple of times (no small thing in a team where defenders are demanded to pass around first).
“He’s a striker who has come through the Academy and it’s important to develop our young players in the Academy,” Pochettino said to Spurs’ website, referring to Harrison first. “I’m very happy with them, the performances of players like Harry Winks, Cameron (Carter-Vickers), we need to keep that level, that energy and play the way we played today.”
If Tottenham can play this way again this season, beginning at Goodison Park next weekend, there will be few in the Premier League capable of standing toe-to-toe with them.
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INTER CLUB PAVIA "C'E' SOLO L'INTER" 