Tottenham rounded off their pre-season with a commanding 3-0 win at home to Hoffenheim.
Spurs took the lead in the 35th minute after a well-worked move ended with Richarlison finishing Andy Robertson’s deflected cross. Mikey Moore doubled the hosts’ lead after the break as he stole ahead of his marker to convert Mathys Tel’s cross. The pair then linked up again in the 80th minute as Tel found Moore, who sneaked his effort into the bottom corner to make it three.
Player ratings
Antonin Kinsky 6: Pulled off a neat save to keep the score level towards the end of the first half. Some shaky moments in possession, but that did not deter him from looking to play directly.
Archie Gray 6: Roberto De Zerbi has put a lot of trust in Gray during pre-season, and he handed him the captain’s armband again this afternoon. Diligent defensively but left Moore to his own devices in attack.
Marcos Senesi 7: Starting for the first time alongside Van Hecke, he made some timely interventions and showed his class in possession with a few nice line-breaking passes.
Jan Paul van Hecke 7: The more aggressive of the two centre-backs, the summer signing pushed up in search of the ball, while Senesi covered in behind. A commanding performance from the Dutchman, who gives Spurs real presence at the back.
Andy Robertson 7: His first-time crosses caused real issues. It was his deflected ball that led to the opening goal, and he was Spurs’ main threat in the first half.
Sandro Tonali 8: It was his swift turn and drive that started the move that led to Richarlison’s goal. Happy to chase loose balls, make third-man runs and drop back to help out defensively. A dominant display.
Conor Gallagher 6: Dropped in to draw fouls and take the ball under pressure, but did not make much happen in possession. If he is to play a more advanced role, he will need to show more with the ball at his feet.
Mikey Moore 8: Put the ball on a plate for Richarlison in the first period. It did not quite happen for him in the first-half, but he got his reward after the break when he beat his man to finish from Tel’s cross.
Lucas Bergvall 7: Handled the ball excellently under intense pressure on the edge of his box and dragged Spurs forward with a couple of neat bursts through the middle of the park. Tired after the break.
Mathys Tel 7: Has had a strong pre-season. Grew into the game, with the hosts’ second goal all down to his desire to get into the box and make something happen. Linked up again with Moore late on to put the seal on a comfortable afternoon.
Richarlison 6: Opened the scoring with a smart finish. He anticipated the deflection on Robertson’s cross before firing home. Struggled coming deep to hold the ball up, which is an important part of how De Zerbi wants his striker to operate.
Substitutes and unused players
Subs: Tyrese Hall: N/A, Malachi Hardy: N/A, Reiss Elliott-Parris: N/A, Jamie Donley: N/A.
Unused subs: Austin, Takai, Byrne, Adewole.
