Just a matter of days after the World Cup concluded in North America it was time for Tottenham Hotspur to begin their pre-season preparations with a test against Football League opposition MK Dons.
While far from a classic, pre-season games rarely are, Roberto De Zerbi’s side started with a 1-0 win at Hotspur Way courtesy of a debut goal from £85m signing Mateus Fernandes.
While the margain of victory was slim, plenty on the home side staked their claim for an early place in De Zerbi’s starting XI when the new season officially rolls around.
However, on this occasion, there was always going to be one main talking point; the performances of Sandro Tonali and Fernandes.
How Fernandes and Tonali performed on Spurs debut
This has been a remarkable summer of spending for Tottenham so far with a combined £185m shelled out on both Fernandes and Tonali.
Neither of them were at the World Cup which is hugely advantageous for the Lilywhites, who will be able to give their two midfield stars a full pre-season as they get used to the De Zerbi way of playing.
Well, it is safe to say that if Fernandes had any pressure on his shoulders, he did not show it. He settled the nerves by scoring the game’s only goal just three minutes in.
The ball was cleared away only as far as the former West Ham man on the edge of the penalty area. He then let rip with a jaw-dropping volley that flew into the net.
The 22-year-old will have biggest tests in a Spurs shirt, sure, but this was an almighty way to introduce yourself to the supporters.
While the new midfield pairing only played the first 45 minutes, Fernandes, in particular, caught the eye. Tonali didn’t impress quite as much but these were his first minutes since the end of last season.
He kept things ticking over with a 96% pass accuracy and managed 15 carries.
|
Fernandes & Tonali vs MK Dons |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
Fernandes |
Tonali |
|
Mins played |
45 |
45 |
|
Pass accuracy |
89% |
96% |
|
Total passes |
68 |
67 |
|
Touches |
81 |
70 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
0 |
|
Shots |
1 |
0 |
|
Dribbles |
0 |
0 |
|
Defensive contributions |
1 |
0 |
Despite their debuts, there was perhaps an even bigger story brewing at the training centre, and it all unravelled in the second half.
Spurs youngster finds a way to outshine Tonali and Fernandes
Much has been made of the Tottenham academy in recent days. How big of a priority is it right now? Well, quite rightly, the hierarchy have been focusing on ways to ensure they never fall into a relegation battle again.
Promising young striker Will Lankshear has been sold to Middlesbrough and respected academy coach, Stuart Lewis, who eased the path from the youth pitches to senior football, has also moved on.
Plenty of the club’s young hopefuls did feature against MK on Wednesday, though. Rio Kyerematen started at left-back with Kota Takai in the middle of the defence. In the second half we then saw the likes of Malachi Hardy, Jamie Donley, Tye Hall, Harry Byrne and Mikey Moore all feature.
However, none of them caught the eye quite as much as a certain Luca Williams-Barnett. Spurs fans may not know the teenager inside and out just yet but this 17-year-old has been catching the eye for quite some time now.
He made his debut for the first team last term and has been billed as Tottenham’s answer to Arsenal’s Max Dowman. Against Milton Keynes, the midfielder certainly showed why.
Williams-Barnett has operated as more of an attacking midfielder over the last year and was in phenomenal form for the youth teams last term, scoring 16 goals in 19 matches.
He wasn’t afforded an opportunity to play as high as that in midweek with De Zerbi playing him in a deeper midfield role. Did he flourish? You bet he did. The youngster’s second half cameo was outrageously good. Whisper it quietly, but there was a Mousa Dembele vibe to the way he glided across the turf and carried the ball through the lines.
He performed as many as six dribbles, completing two of them, in a real throwback to the Dembele era in midfield. He also had a solitary shot and played three key passes, one of which was an incredible clipped pass from deep, over the defence and into the path of Yang Min-hyeok whose shot was off target. It cruelly robbed Williams-Barnett of a sublime assist.
The teen has long been highly rated inside the corridors of Spurs and while expectations must be tempered after a pre-season game, his performance, one that had supporters talking about him rather than their two big buys this summer, spoke volumes.
