Tottenham Hotspur continued preseason with an oddity of a fixture, a 70-minute hit-out against Getafe.
Roberto De Zerbi named a reasonably strong side, with two changes made from the lineup against Chelsea as Richarlison and Mikey Moore came in for Dominic Solanke and Manor Solomon, respectively. An uneventful first half was followed by an all-action second, with the visitors opening the scoring against the run of play via Alberto Risco, before Conor Gallagher equalized late in the match.
Spurs hunted
for a winner but it was not to be as the fixture finished 1-1.
Here’s my top ten talking points from Spurs’ “friendly” against Getafe.
1. Feeling the heat
With temperatures soaring in London, Getafe and Spurs opted for a 70-minute match, with two 35-minute halves. It was a bit of an interesting twist, with a similar match played by other senior players later in the day against the U21s.
This structure put the players’ fitness under a microscope, with no substitutions made by Spurs (and only a handful of changes by Getafe). The named XI going the full 70 minutes was an important milestone in Spurs’ preparations for Brentford later this month as the season proper kicks off.
2. Spurs taking shape
With each passing fixture, Spurs’ starting XI for that first match seems to become clearer. Though there are some unknowns with regards to fitness (the likes of James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, and Micky van de Ven) and availability following the World Cup (Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Pedro Porro), it seems Roberto De Zerbi has a couple of nailed-on players for his preferred lineup.
Sandro Tonali has started virtually every match for which he’s been available, and Jan Paul van Hecke has done likewise since his return from international duties. Mathy Tel seems to have the left wing position locked down for now, and Conor Gallagher will likely start in the #10, though that’s in part due to lack of options. The other positions seem to be up for grabs at this moment, with De Zerbi running various different players, though he does seem to have some favorites.
3. Bypassing the midfield?
Interestingly, early in the match Spurs’ defense seemed reticent to utilize Lucas Bergvall and Tonali in build-up, instead looking to go long with some ambitious passes, or down the wings. Perhaps this was a tactical choice: Getafe were very compact in the middle and seemed not too keen to fall for De Zerbi’s press baiting trap; or maybe it was the players adjusting.
Bergvall and Tonali did get more and more involved on the ball as the match went on, so it could have been the latter, but the same happened on a handful of occasions defensively as well. Spurs’ press was very good, but on a couple of occasions either Tonali or Bergvall were left isolated in midfield as Getafe attacked, and their defensive attempts in those transitions were sometimes poor. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, Spurs looked worryingly open at the back.
4. Vertical movement
Another tactical item of note, relating to some of the long passing from the back: Spurs’ synchronized movements in the attacking areas. Though Spurs have prioritized movement into space under some recent managers, this was quite different: aggressive vertical runs in opposite directions, causing confusion in the defensive line and opening up space in the defense.
This often happened when the ball came to one of the center backs. The double pivot was available for a short pass, but further up the pitch you would sometimes see a fullback immediately start to run in behind, supported by Conor Gallagher, while Mathys Tel would come deep and wide into the fullback position and Richarlison would drop off the shoulder of his marker. This verticality and synchronicity of movement was a marked improvement on some of the off-ball work last season, and created space around Getafe’s backline on a few occasions.
5. Fractious friendly(?)
Friendly, you say? To shreds, you say?
Getafe weren’t here for a nice jog in the sun; they were focused and fired up – perhaps (read: definitely) too much. Somewhat like how Spurs maybe got a little overaggressive in the Chelsea friendly, Getafe really got stuck into their work, with late tackles and heavy challenges galore.
Spurs began to get frustrated by some of the contact, with some fouls bordering on dangerous, and at one point the referee awarded a yellow card to Ebrahima Drammeh as he dove in on Lucas Bergvall. While he didn’t contact the Swede, the swipe was so egregious the referee felt he had to get involved, as he did when Sandro Tonali and Mario Martin got into a shoving match that threatened to blow over into a full melee after the Spaniard collected Tonali late in the match. Neither side was happy.
6. Second-half shift
The first half was tentative and turgid. The second half, however, demonstrated a marked improvement in both teams’ play, but especially Spurs. The ball was moved more quickly, the positional interchange more fluid, Spurs began to take control of the match. One-touch passing was back on the menu.
Both sides, though, started to create chances. Alberto Risco went on a mazy run before cutting inside on his left but slicing his shot; and Mathys Tel created space for a couple of well-placed low crosses across the face of goal, each of which were inches from being knocked in by a teammate.
7. The phantom goal
There were a handful of moments in this match that might have had some fans wishing for VAR; and if not that, at the very least goal-line technology as it looked like Richarlison could have scored… only for the referee to not award a goal.
A scramble following a corner kick saw a couple of attempts on goal before Richarlison got his head on the ball, with it looking destined to settle in the back of the net. David Soria in goal dived across, palming the ball out off the post, but not before it looked to have crossed the line. It was a near thing, but it would have been nice to see exactly how near to being the opening goal it truly was.
8. Roaming van Hecke
At times in this match, you could have been forgiven for thinking Cristian Romero had died his head blonde. JP van Hecke operated in a role very similar to that which we have seen from Romero in recent years, often journeying into midfield and further up the pitch as Spurs probed for an opening.
It was reflected both in his physicality and his passing as well, with a few very nice line-splitting passes into the feet of attackers, and a couple more diagonal passes to switch the play. Van Hecke’s skillset means if / when Romero does leave, we won’t be missing some of his most unique skills.
9. Breakdown in defense
That said, the defense wasn’t perfect, as Getafe opened the scoring first. Bergvall was beaten too easily as he was isolated in midfield, and van Hecke pushed up out of the line to support. Ben Davies should have shifted more centrally but was distracted by another attacker he potentially could have ignored.
It meant Risco was wide open as he received the ball near the penalty spot and slotted a shot past a despairing Kinsky with not much the Czech keeper could do. Though the defense has improved out of sight thus far under De Zerbi, these defensive breakdowns have arguably been a little too common through preseason. Are they due to tiredness? Unfamiliar players playing together? All of the above?
There are a lot of potential excuses and reasons for these mix-ups, but they have to be addressed before the season begins; you don’t get second chances in the Premier League.
10. Limited attack
Spurs’ attack still looks a little out of its depth, with set pieces and crosses still generally the best source of chances in this match and through preseason thus far. It’s clear Spurs need quality brought in via the transfer market, but in the meantime the attack seems to resemble more blunt instrument than scalpel.
Ben Davies had an effort blocked from close range following a set piece; Richarlison could have scored as he met a Tel cross but headed too close to Soria. Spurs kept trying though, and eventually had their reward: an excellent pass into Richarlison from Tonali resulted in the Brazilian being clattered, but the ball fell into space at the top of the Getafe box with Gallagher charging onto it. His finish was calm and well-struck, and Spurs equalized late on. Though there are questions as to the quality, there’s no denying the effort, with Spurs staying in the match until the dying moments on more than one occasion through preseason.
Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.
