Five things we learned from Tottenham’s pre-season draw with Luton Town
Tottenham Hotspur played out a 0-0 draw with Luton Town at the Kenilworth Stadium on Saturday after in their second match of their pre-season double header.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the game:
Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky share minutes again for Tottenham
It was a rather drab ninety minutes of football from Tottenham Hotspur, who completed their second pre-season tie of the day in what was a back-to-back schedule.
There was not much to discuss from this clash in terms of standout moments. However, one detail did stand out – Thomas Frank once again chose to split the goalkeeping duties between his two primary options.
Last weekend, Frank handed 45 minutes to Guglielmo Vicario and another 45 to Antonin Kinsky in the clash against Reading.
While that was understandable, given it was the opening fixture of pre-season and an opportunity to give everyone a run-out, today’s decision was slightly more surprising.
Tottenham had already faced Wycombe Wanderers earlier in the day, so it would have made sense for either Vicario or Kinsky to play the full 90 minutes, or at least 60, with Brandon Austin or Luca Gunter finishing off the match.
Instead, Austin played the full game earlier on, while Vicario and Kinsky again split the second match evenly. The goalkeeper situation is one to keep an eye on – perhaps Frank’s first-choice between the sticks is not quite nailed on just yet.
Tottenham still have several missing players
While Frank was able to rotate almost the entire squad over the two friendlies, Tottenham Hotspur still have several notable absentees who are yet to feature in pre-season.
James Maddison, for one, returned to training earlier in the week but was not deemed fit enough for match action and sat out once again. Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski also remain sidelined, still working their way back from injury.
Dominic Solanke was expected to feature today but picked up a knock, while Rodrigo Bentancur missed out due to illness.
These issues do not appear serious, and the expectation is that all, aside from Dragusin and Kulusevski, should be available for the upcoming tour of Asia, where Spurs will continue their pre-season preparations.
Mikey Moore deployed in the number 10 role for Spurs
In this tie against Luton Town, Thomas Frank once more continued his tactical experiment of fielding two players in advanced central roles.
Previously against Reading, Mikey Moore and Alfie Devine were deployed as dual tens. This time around, Moore again started in that position but struggled to influence proceedings in the way he would have hoped.
It is a notable departure from his usage under former manager Ange Postecoglou, who typically deployed Moore out wide. We may be witnessing the early stages of a positional shift for the youngster in the Tottenham first-team setup.
Tottenham’s lack of full-back depth exposed again
Many would have raised an eyebrow when Jamie Donley slotted in at full-back to replace Destiny Udogie, who was withdrawn during the game.
This adjustment clearly affected Thomas Frank’s structure, as Yves Bissouma had to function as the pivot while also providing cover at right-back.
Donley, meanwhile, appeared to drift into the left-hand half spaces in midfield, while Brennan Johnson operated as a touchline winger tasked with stretching play and providing width.
The fact that Spurs could not call on a natural left-back to replace Udogie highlights just how threadbare their full-back options currently are. Injuries to Pedro Porro, Ben Davies or Udogie could leave Tottenham scrambling for emergency solutions once competitive matches begin.
There has been talk of Spurs looking to bring in another full-back, and today’s match reinforced why that must be a priority.
Spurs continue to struggle against low defensive blocks
A second clean sheet in three pre-season matches may be seen as a major positive for Tottenham Hotspur.
However, the goalless draw against Luton Town underlined one glaring issue that has persisted from last season – Spurs’ ongoing struggle to break down deep defensive blocks.
Luton were compact throughout the ninety minutes, happy to defend in numbers and limit the space for Tottenham’s wingers to operate in.
The League One outfit doubled up on the likes of Brennan Johnson and Mohammed Kudus, preventing them from making a real impact.
With several of Spurs’ creative players missing, Tottenham lacked incision and struggled to fashion clear chances.
This is something that must be addressed ahead of the new Premier League campaign, as stronger opposition will not only frustrate them defensively but also have the quality to punish them on the break.
A signing like Morgan Gibbs-White could help add that final-third spark, particularly when James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski are not on the pitch.
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