View: Two players make their point as Tottenham defeat Lion City Sailors during pre-season
Tottenham defeated the Lion City Sailors emphatically to claim the Tiger Cup, hitting five past their opposition after going a goal behind, and two players made a real case for themselves during the fixture.
Spurs were always expected to win the match and it was therefore a real surprise when the hosts opened the scoring in Singapore through Shawal Anuar in the 14th minute.
As expected, though, Tottenham were dominant and hit back, even if it did take until stoppage time of the first half and a Harry Kane penalty to level the score.
Much like against West Ham, Spurs were unrecognisable from last season, enjoying 80 per cent of the ball and registering a staggering 37 shots at goal, although only 11 were on target – something that Ange Postecoglou will be keen to improve upon.
And once again, just as was the case against the Hammers in the North London side’s only other pre-season friendly so far, the players who came out for the second half were much better than those who played the first.
Postecoglou made 11 half-time substitutions as he continues to assess his squad and the options he currently has at his disposal, and the Australian would have been more impressed by his players who won the second half 4-0, as opposed to those who drew the first half 1-1.
It comes as a real surprise as the players who did come on at half-time could be considered the second team, with the likes of Kane, Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero all playing first.
However, they certainly didn’t look weaker, and two of them, in particular, made a real case as to why they should be in their 57-year-old boss’ plans next season.
Richarlison
A hat-trick for the Brazil international makes him an obvious winner from the match and while he was poor against West Ham, he made significant improvements in Singapore, even if it was against considerably inferior opposition.
Last year the 26-year-old couldn’t seem to hit a barn door, scoring just once in the Premier League during his debut season with Tottenham, and a deeper dive into his stats from his underwhelming campaign make for worrying reading.
As per fbref, compared to his positional peers in England’s top flight, he was in the bottom 50 per cent for his number of shot-creating actions (3.12 per 90), the bottom 20 per cent for the number of touches he made (39.30 per 90) and the 26th percentile for his pass completion rate (70.3 per cent per 90).
Overall he was poor and did very little to impact games, however, his pre-season hat=trick should certainly provide him with a boost of confidence, especially considering the way he took the goals.
His first, which came just a matter of minutes after he had entered the field of play, was an instinctive finish midway inside the box, and while it might look easy, his positioning was top class and he was the first to respond after the opposition goalkeeper’s initial save.
For the second, as seen in the image, he was alert to the defender’s poor header. which sat up nicely for him as he beat the keeper to the ball and nodded it home. Although it once again doesn’t seem like much on the surface, and some might consider it an easy tap-in, his alertness and speed at which he reached the ball is a promising sign.
Finally, his third and most impressive of the bunch, which came just moments before the final whistle, was a display of speed and power. He picked up the ball on the edge of the box, as seen above, and drove through the two defenders, eventually rolling it past the keeper.
Giovani Lo Celso
After such a complete performance against West Ham, the Argentine once again dazzled and suggested to his new boss that he could be a key part of his plans for next season, a contrast to what many supporters would have anticipated.
He scored again, which made it two in two for the 27-year-old during the club’s tour, and took the goal in a very similar way to how he took it against West Ham.
Just like against the club’s London rivals, he found space near the six-yard box and smashed the ball home to make the score 4-1. While, just like Richarlison’s goals, it seems simple at first glance, it is the midfielder’s positioning that will please Postecoglou.
The former Celtic manager expects his creative midfielders to get forward, often utilising a progressive eight who will join the attack, and Lo Celso certainly fits this role down to a tee.
As per fbref, over the past 365 days, Lo Celso was in the top two per cent of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues for the number of shots he took (2.40 per 90), the top ten per cent for the number of progressive carries he made (2.80 per 90) and the top one per cent for the number of passes he would make into the penalty area (2.32 per 90).
And it has been reported that Lo Celso might not be going anywhere. As suggested by Alasdair Gold via Football London (27 July), the Copa America winner has been much happier and eager to please upon his return with his new manager taking a liking to him.
He might certainly be a player supporters should expect to see next season and might finally make an impact after signing for Tottenham four years ago.
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