Five things we learned from Tottenham 1-0 MK Dons in pre-season as Mateus Fernandes stars

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Tottenham kicked off pre-season with a 1-0 win over MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way, with 21 players in action.

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

Three debuts for Tottenham Hotspur vs MK Dons

While Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson arrived at Hotspur Way for pre-season training in the last 48 hours, MK Dons came too early for them. Of course, new signing Marcos Senesi was also missing after being involved right up until the end of the World Cup. However, we did get to see debuts from Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, and Martin Dubravka, with the midfield duo playing the first 45 and the 37-year-old goalkeeper playing the second 45.

De Zerbi started Fernandes and Tonali in a midfield two on their own in what looked like a 4-2-3-1 formation. While Spurs struggled to pass through the lines last season, you could already see an intent from the £85m duo to rectify that issue. It didn’t always come off, but the sharpness will come as pre-season continues. Dubravka didn’t have much to do, but tipped over a sharp save on 80 minutes.

Mateus Fernandes screamer will excite Spurs fans

Popping the ball between the lines, spraying long-range passing to the wings, and winning tackles in midfield will impress De Zerbi this evening, but it’s another moment that has gone viral on social media. With just two minutes on the clock following his £85m move from West Ham, Mateus Fernandes opened his Spurs account in sensational fashion.

After Mathys Tel’s corner was cleared away high into the air, the Portuguese midfielder did his best Paul Scholes impression and absolutely ripped it into the top corner. Hopefully, it’s not the last one of those we see this season! Check out the goal below:

Three Spurs youngsters impressed in the second half

While the first half was played at a pretty tepid tempo, you could tell there were some youngsters looking to impress in the second 45. Despite being played out of position in a deeper-lying midfield role, Luca Williams-Barnett was arguably the Man of the Match, repeatedly picking the ball up on the half turn and driving Tottenham down the pitch. He was unlucky not to claim a goal or assist as Yang Min-hyeok failed to convert from Williams-Barnett’s glorious lofted pass, while the man himself saw a late shot accidentally blocked by Dane Scarlett.

Mikey Moore was also a real bright spark down the left side of the attack, picking up from where he left off at Rangers last season to cut inside and shoot at every opportunity. With Spurs only playing once per week this season, you suspect De Zerbi will look for momentum by loaning Moore out again. Another surprise standout was Malachi Hardy in the heart of defence, who was comfortable on the ball, solid in the air, and made some lovely driving runs to kickstart attacks from the back.

Some senior players still missing for Tottenham

Of course, Tottenham were without their World Cup stars this evening, but they weren’t the only senior players missing. Guglielmo Vicario was nowhere to be seen amidst links with Napoli and Juventus. James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Ashley Phillips, Souza, and Brandon Austin were also missing.

Spurs should welcome another batch of players back to pre-season in time for the Auckland game, potentially including Lucas Bergvall, Micky Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Kevin Danso, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Sarr. Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and co continue their rehab.

More of a nod to Roberto De Zerbi’s true style

We are still a long way from seeing peak De Zerbi ball at Tottenham Hotspur, but there was a clear shift away from ‘we need points in order to avoid relegation’ to more progressive play this evening.

The most noticeable difference came in midfield, with both partnerships of Tonali-Fernandes and Donley-Williams-Barnett looking to turn on the ball, pass through the lines, and create chances with balls in behind. Not to mention the fact that Spurs had constant runners from the wings and full-back positions.

Definitely only the first building block, but an interesting one nonetheless.

• READ MORE – Tottenham Hotspur full-time player ratings vs MK Dons as young 8/10 trio shine

Tottenham pre-season schedule: