Three winners and three losers from Tottenham's pre-season draw vs Newcastle - Opinion
Tottenham ended their Asia tour with a draw against Newcastle United, but while the scoreline was level, the performances told a different story.
Thomas Frank’s side were held to a draw in their final pre-season clash against Newcastle United in Asia, a match that also served as a potential farewell for Heung-min Son, who could have played his final game for Tottenham.
Spurs started brightly, taking an early lead against Eddie Howe’s side and pressing with intent; however, Harvey Barnes brought Newcastle level with a tidy finish before the break.
While some players gave Frank plenty to think about with their performances, others will be disappointed with their showings. Here, we look at three winners and three losers from Tottenham’s final pre-season test.
Brennan Johnson scores as Tottenham draw with Newcastle
Tottenham Hotspur started the game in the right manner on Sunday afternoon, creating a flurry of chances and setting the tone early on.
Pape Matar Sarr forced a sharp save from Nick Pope following a corner, before Rodrigo Bentancur fired narrowly wide from the rebound.
The breakthrough came when Brennan Johnson rifled in from outside the box, capitalising on Newcastle’s inability to play out from the back after Kevin Danso won possession high up the pitch.
Johnson’s strike took a deflection off Dan Burn and nestled into the net – far from a simple finish, but one that highlighted his growing confidence in front of goal.
Given that he was Tottenham’s leading goalscorer last season, this was no surprise, but the nature of the goal, struck from range rather than from close, gives Thomas Frank more to ponder in terms of how best to deploy his wide forwards.
Archie Gray stands out in midfield against Newcastle
Archie Gray’s display against the Magpies might go down as one of his most complete performances since joining Tottenham.
The England Under-21 international was deployed slightly higher up the pitch in midfield, where he was given license to drift into half-spaces and make incisive runs beyond the wide players.
He made good use of that freedom, often overlapping from the winger and positioning himself well to put in crosses into the box, something we have rarely seen from the youngster.
Not only was he involved in the attack, he also contributed defensively, recording eight defensive actions, winning one of his two tackles, recovering the ball twice and making three interceptions.
Indeed, it was a well-rounded performance that showcased both his technical ability and his work rate, and it is not difficult to imagine how much more effective he could be alongside a ball-winner like Joao Palhinha.
Djed Spence set to feature in UEFA Super Cup final
Left-back remains one of Tottenham’s biggest issues this summer, and the injury to Destiny Udogie has only exacerbated the situation.
Djed Spence may well be the beneficiary of that setback. While he did not start against Newcastle United, the full-back came off the bench in place of Pedro Porro and, based on his pre-season minutes and positional versatility, looks increasingly likely to be involved in the UEFA Super Cup final on 13 August.
Spence appears to be ahead of Ben Davies in the pecking order at the moment, and if he keeps this up, he could well be one of the first names on the team sheet for the season’s curtain-raiser.
Now onto our three losers from the 1-1 draw.
James Maddison suffers another injury setback
James Maddison has been building up his fitness during pre-season, having been sidelined since May with a knee injury.
He made a brief appearance off the bench against Arsenal and looked set to get more minutes under his belt against Newcastle, but his involvement was cut short after he appeared to aggravate the same knee.
Thomas Frank confirmed post-match that Maddison has indeed re-injured the same area, a worrying development that raises the prospect of another spell on the sidelines for the midfielder, something Spurs could do without as they look to hit the ground running this term.
Mathys Tel misses big chance in Tottenham vs Newcastle
It could very well have been a 2-1 win for Tottenham had Mathys Tel converted a golden opportunity in the first half.
Through on goal with only Nick Pope to beat, the young French forward failed to make the most of it, striking his effort straight at the goalkeeper. It was a glaring miss, the kind that top-level strikers bury without fuss.
It might only be pre-season, but misses like that could hurt a player’s confidence and potentially affect their standing in the squad hierarchy. Tel’s overall play has been promising, but he will need to be more clinical if he wants to be considered a serious option to lead the line for Tottenham.
Ben Davies exposed by Newcastle’s pace and pressing
With Heung-min Son having played his farewell game at 33, many supporters would be left asking why Ben Davies, at 32, is still being relied upon as a backup option.
Davies was given the nod at left-back in this clash and looked off the pace throughout. While his experience and versatility are useful traits, it was clear that Newcastle targeted his side of the pitch repeatedly, looking to isolate and exploit his lack of pace.
He was frequently caught out of position, forcing Kevin Danso to cover and disrupting the defensive shape. If anything, this performance only highlighted the urgency with which Spurs need to bring in reinforcements at full-back, and perhaps even an additional attacking midfielder.
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