Tottenham Hotspur’s second game in their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia saw Roberto De Zerbi’s side face Sydney, with the match ending 1-1 before Spurs secured a 4-2 penalty victory.
Let us take a look at five things we learned from the match:
Tottenham remain unbeaten in pre-season
It is now three games for Tottenham Hotspur so far in pre-season after facing MK Dons, Auckland FC and, most recently, Sydney.
Spurs beat MK Dons 1-0 when the two met earlier this month at Hotspur Way before the Lilywhites secured a 2-0 win against Auckland FC in their first game in Australia.
That unbeaten run continues following the 1-1 draw and 4-2 penalty win over Sydney at Allianz Stadium.
Tottenham’s pre-season preparations do not end there, with four more games still to be played.
It will not be long before Spurs are back in action as they face Chelsea in another pre-season encounter on Saturday in Australia.
De Zerbi will be hoping his side can continue to improve with the start of the Premier League season edging closer.
Tottenham still have key players missing in pre-season
While Tottenham have been coasting through pre-season, one thing remains very evident at the moment: Spurs still do not have all of their players fit enough to take part.
Against MK Dons we saw a good mix of youngsters and experienced heads, while against Auckland FC it was largely academy players.
In the clash against Sydney it was another good mix of academy stars and first-team regulars, but once again the academy players outnumbered the senior stars.
The likes of Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso and Jan Paul van Hecke are still yet to kick a ball in pre-season despite travelling with the Tottenham squad.
Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes, who featured against MK Dons and scored an absolute peach of a goal, has been nowhere to be seen since.
It has since been revealed that Fernandes has no injuries at the moment. However, with less than a month before the Premier League season kicks off, it would be ideal for more first-team regulars to get some game time into their legs.
Archie Gray continues to earn Roberto De Zerbi’s trust
Of course, De Zerbi is being cautious with the minutes of most of his senior players, many of whom were involved in the World Cup earlier in the summer.
However, he has shown little caution with a few of the stars at his disposal, especially Archie Gray, who has featured in every pre-season match so far.
Interestingly, the 20-year-old, who is capable of playing a variety of positions including full-back, has been deployed in the centre of the pitch in the last two outings.
In the game against Auckland FC, Gray wore the armband, and once again versus Sydney he was named captain – even with senior players like Richarlison, Ben Davies and Conor Gallagher on the pitch.
The youngster was praised for stepping up as a leader last season when things on the pitch were not going right for Tottenham.
With De Zerbi handing Gray the captain’s armband in the last two outings, it’s clear just how highly the Italian rates the Englishman, who has certainly impressed throughout pre‑season.
The midfield at Tottenham is currently stacked, especially after the additions of Fernandes and Tonali, but Gray is staking a strong claim for a place.
Andrew Robertson makes a bright Tottenham debut
The former Liverpool full-back had made it clear that he aims to push Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie for a starting spot at left-back.
For the first time since his summer move, Robertson donned a Spurs shirt, and he looked very impressive.
The Scotland international played just 25 minutes and, in that time, created two big chances for Tottenham with his trademark first-time balls into the box.
He was unlucky not to grab an assist or two as Yang Min-hyeok failed to convert either of the chances created by Robertson.
A very bright cameo that will certainly have De Zerbi thinking about that left-back spot.
Mathys Tel is ready to challenge any new left-wing signing
The star of the game was most definitely Mathys Tel, who looked very bright in the first half with his directness. The Frenchman was not afraid to take on his man, get to the byline or cut inside from the left.
His impressive display was capped off with a sensational free-kick from the edge of the box that flew into the top-right corner.
Spurs remain keen on securing a new winger, but with displays like these from Tel, he is sure to push any new signing all the way this season.