Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 4-2 defeat to Barcelona

Tottenham Hotspur may have run out of steam at the end, but there was plenty to like from the 4-2 defeat to Barcelona this evening. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:  Knocking on the door – If we assume that Ange Postecoglou used this Barcelona friendly as a chance to look […]

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Tottenham Hotspur may have run out of steam at the end, but there was plenty to like from the 4-2 defeat to Barcelona this evening. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned: 

(Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Knocking on the door –

If we assume that Ange Postecoglou used this Barcelona friendly as a chance to look at a few players on the fringe of his starting XI, then there are certainly a few standouts. Richarlison, Lo Celso, and Bissouma probably have the best chance of starting against Brentford – with Pedro Porro, Ivan Perisic, and Oliver Skipp also impressing.

Ange Ball –

Even after a few pre-season games, you can already see Postecoglou’s footprint on this Tottenham team. Some of the playing out from the back and transition play today was amazing to see, especially after three years of rather dull football. It may have been a defeat, but Spurs are going to score a lot of goals this season. It’s just a matter of whether they can stop them from going in the other end.

Central defence –

Tottenham may have signed Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero is a class act, but injuries could be a problem for the Lilywhites this season. If one of the first choices drops out, I worry about the defence collapsing. I have nothing against Eric Dier, but I fear he doesn’t have the recovery pace to cope with Postecoglou’s style of play. At least one more centre-back is needed.

Heung-min Son mystery –

It seems strange that Postecoglou would take Sonny over to Spain only to leave him on the bench. I realise he didn’t get as much of a pre-season as some of the other first-team players, so I expected him to get half an hour this evening. I would still expect him to start against Brentford, but I wonder whether he is not as fully match fit as some of the others yet.

Devine and Scarlett loans –

Devine and Scarlett both came off the bench for 20 minutes this evening, but it does cement the fact they need a full-season loan down in the Championship. If the youngsters aren’t even in Postecoglou’s rotation team, then it seems unlikely they will get many minutes at all throughout the season. I want to see them playing week-in week-out. Both are top talents.

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