Saturday’s Spurs vs. Bayern Munich match in South Korea was a game of two halves, whether on the pitch or over the course of the match.
Tottenham’s performance showed they’re still adjusting to Ange Postecoglou’s strategy. With defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returning late, Rodrigo Bentancur back from injury, and ongoing recoveries for Destiny Udogie and Richarlison, plus new transfers like Dominic Solanke, next season will bring new changes.
Last season, Spurs started strong but weakened due to injuries. They might begin slowly but should have enough new quality and depth to sustain their momentum.
Postecoglou will benefit from his players’ familiarity with his methods. Unlike last summer, when Van de Ven had just one training session before his first Premier League game, he now has two weeks of training, a friendly against strong opponents, and Postecoglou’s system to help him prepare for the King Power Stadium match.
Players like Van de Ven, Romero, and Bentancur, who were active just three weeks ago, remain sharp and fit, as seen in their performance against Bayern. Bentancur, especially, looked more fit and sharp than he had in a while after his injury layoff.
“Our training is pretty good in terms of getting people up to speed. It is a Monday night game [at Leicester], so we have a couple of extra days for us. I think the 45 minutes today will be good for them, and we will do some good work with them over the next ten days,” said Postecoglou.
“Destiny has already been training a bit longer than that. We’ve kind of protected him from games, but only because he’d been out for a while but he has been training a little bit longer than the other guys. The guys who came back this week from international duty, it’s a matter of trying to get them up to speed.”
“They’ve all come back in good condition, which helps, but I think getting them 45 minutes today against a really good opponent, I think they’ll feel better about that, and we’ll use it next week, those ten days, to gauge how ready they are. But again, I see no reason if they get through our training week that they wouldn’t be ready.”
The two halves were noticeably different. In the first half, with just one regular defender, Spurs looked vulnerable, and Bayern scored three goals, including two from set pieces.
In the second half, with three regular defenders and a strong performance from Archie Gray at right-back, Bayern couldn’t score, even with Harry Kane back for the final 10 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s goal was 24 seconds in, suggesting a different game. The Swede intercepted the ball in midfield and capitalized on a mistake to score in the Bayern box.
Spurs’ Patchwork Defense Struggles as Upamecano Scores Rebound
The Spurs’ patchwork defense struggled. A free kick found two Bayern players open. Guglielmo Vicario saved Mathys Tel’s header, but Dayot Upamecano scored the rebound after getting past Brennan Johnson.
The second goal resulted from a mix-up between Vicario and Yves Bissouma, similar to the first goal Spurs gave up in Korea. Bissouma, not Djed Spence, was pressured this time and couldn’t clear the ball to the side. After some chaotic play in the penalty area, Serge Gnabry scored with a precise low shot into the left corner.
It served as a timely reminder that both the goalkeeper’s pass and the midfielder’s reaction must be faster to overcome the press.
The third goal was another set-piece mistake. Spurs expected a direct free-kick but got a cross instead. Kulusevski, covering two players, missed them both, allowing Thomas Muller to score with a close-range header.
The Spurs improved in the second half, with a stronger defense and the removal of some of the underperforming senior players from the first half.
Lucas Bergvall intercepted a pass and gave it to Son Heung-min, who then passed it back to him. Bergvall then set up Kulusevski, who scored neatly into the corner.
It was the teenager’s first assist at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it won’t be his last. Bergvall’s pressing, touch, movement, and precise pass demonstrated why he’s adapting quickly to life at Tottenham. In this pre-season game, the 18-year-old outperformed his older vice-captain, James Maddison.
Maddison had a few good moments: a clever free-kick to Kulusevski that led to a saved shot and a missed long-range attempt. He was substituted at half-time with Yves Bissouma, who started well but faded later. Bissouma hasn’t played more than 45 minutes in pre-season, which is worrying.
At one point, it seemed like Bergvall might have to leave the game early. He suddenly fell to the ground, struggling to breathe and looking like he might be sick or seriously winded. His teammates called for medical help.
Bergvall eventually felt better after coughing and drinking some water. Postecoglou said: “I’m not really sure. He said he was struggling to breathe, and we had to sort of find out whether he swallowed something. I think it was nothing serious. He was alright.”
Bergvall was perfectly fine, and playing in front of the large crowd at the big stadium would have been great for him and Gray.
“I thought it was positive; it was something tangible for us as a positive that they’ve had that run-out now, and they know what it feels like and playing in a full stadium,” Postecoglou said.
“So, I think they both had their moments in there as well, and look, they’re going to be good players for us, no doubt, and the more exposure we give them, the more we’ll help them develop.”
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