Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Motherwell

Tottenham Hotspur were back in action this afternoon at Hotspur Way as they welcomed Motherwell for a very cold friendly, beating the Scottish side 4-0. 

Let’s take a look at five things we learned from the match:

Kulusevski the main man – With Harry Kane and Heung-min Son missing, we got to see Dejan Kulusevski step up and become the main man up front. And boy did he put on a show! Wearing Kane’s usual number ten shirt, the Swede absolutely ran the show. He scored the opener after latching onto a loose pass, created the second on the transition, and then assisted the third and fourth. He was quite literally at the heart of every good attack. For me, he has to start every game once the season resumes.

Djed Spence in the starting line-up – It may only be a friendly, but Djed Spence was handed his first chance to impress Antonio Conte from the start, and I would say he did just that. The 22-year-old was a constant threat in behind down the right and showed some seemingly telepathic link-up play with Kulusevski on that side. He also used his height well to be a threat in the air at the back post, which Conte typically loves from his wing-backs. The only thing that was missing was a goal or assist.

Harvey White – In a game like this, you can always tell a lot by the one or two youngsters the manager picks to join the first team. Harvey White started in a false nine role and did not look out of place at all. In fact, he created the third goal by dropping deep and flicking a ball in behind around the corner, looking very much like Harry Kane as he did it. White is such a versatile player that I’m sure a Championship club will snap him up on loan in January. Class act.

Matt Doherty – It’s hard not to mention Matt Doherty after his performance today. After all, Conte loves his wing-backs to be consistent goal threats. Doherty cut inside and netted one from left-wing-back, then headed home from a corner after moving to right-centre-back in the second half. Not only that, but the Ireland international also delivered some testing crosses towards Spence at the back post. Logic would seem to place him above Emerson Royal in the pecking order, but who knows.

Oliver Skipp needs minutes – Another player who impressed today with his no-nonsense tackling and superb composure in the middle of the park was Oliver Skipp. However, with Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, plus the potential of new signings in January, it feels like he may struggle for minutes in the second half of the season. If Tottenham sign a new central midfielder, as much as it breaks my heart, I would like to see Skipp loaned to a Premier League side for six months. He needs to play every single week and prove himself at this level, which I really think he can.

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