Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich
Tottenham Hotspur finished their pre-season tour of Asia with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich this afternoon, although Pedro Porro managed to... The post Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich appeared first on The Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.
Tottenham Hotspur finished their pre-season tour of Asia with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich this afternoon, although Pedro Porro managed to earn plaudits with another screamer into the top corner.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:
A humbling Tottenham needed
2-1 may sound like Tottenham gave a good account of themselves against Bayern, but the Germans could and should have been 5-0 up at half-time. The Spurs starting XI simply didn’t show up for the first 45 minutes and had to deal with onslaught after onslaught on their goal.
It was a little worrying to see how much the Lilywhites struggled to pass their way out from the back, considering they should be further ahead in their pre-season preparations than Vincent Kompany’s side. But perhaps Tottenham needed that step-up in quality and a little pre-season humbling after four straight wins this summer.
A chance for revenge
In a unique twist of events, Tottenham will actually get a chance at revenge in just seven days when Bayern come to North London for the second of a pre-season double header. It remains to be seen whether Harry Kane will be involved in that one, but Eric Dier should be involved once again.
Friendly or not, no team wants to lose twice to the same opposition in the space of a week, so the Spurs players will be well up for that one.
Lucas Bergvall masterclass
The bar was very low for Tottenham’s second-half players after that woeful first 45, but Lucas Bergvall was genuinely impressive once again today. He controlled the pace of the second half with some lovely footwork and neat passing through the lines, something Tottenham were completely missing in the first half.
Bergvall has that natural ability to create time and space where there is none, and that’s something you cannot teach. Of course, he is still a very young and raw talent, but Postecoglou will surely be impressed with what he’s seen from the Swedish starlet so far.
Players not involved
It would seem that Will Lankshear is ahead of both Alejo Veliz and Dane Scarlett in the pecking order this summer, although I suspect both of those players will be heading out on loans in the next two weeks. Neither Veliz nor Scarlett got onto the pitch again today.
Perhaps more surprisingly is the absence of Manor Solomon, who has been a peripheral figure this summer on pre-season. With the likes of Son, Werner, Johnson, Kulusevski, Moore, Devine and co all ahead of him in the pecking order, it makes you wonder whether he could be on the way out in the coming weeks.
Warm weather training done
It should be noted that the Tottenham players have gone through an incredible amount of work over the past two weeks in Japan and South Korea, including those three friendly matches. It’s hot and humid over in Seoul at the moment, which probably explains why the Spurs players looked dead on their feet at times today. But that warm weather training will do them the world of good in terms of fitness ahead of the new season.
A special mention to Dejan Kulusevski who seems ready to run a marathon no matter the heat or humidity.
The post Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich appeared first on The Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.