Five things we learned from the win over Real Madrid in the Audi Cup

Tottenham Hotspur recorded their first win in the Audi Cup this pre-season today as they bested Real Madrid by one goal to nil.

Spurs came up against the likes of ex-Lilywhite, Luka Modric, Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and co, but still managed to book their place in the final.

Tottenham will now play either Bayern Munich or Fenerbahce tomorrow.

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

Danny Rose back in favour –

Danny Rose was back in the squad and back in the starting line up after missing the tour of Asia. This would tend to suggest that Poch now wants him fit to start the new season with the Lilywhites. To me, this makes perfect sense, as Ben Davies is still out injured and no replacements have been signed. Great to see him back out there.

Harry Kane on fire –

The man looks fit, he looks sharp, and boy can he finish. Kane scored the only goal of the game as he pounced on a Madrid defensive mistake. He then raced through and clipped the ball over Navas to find the back of the net. In truth, the England captain could have had two or three today and he was barely breaking a sweat. Great signs for the new season.

Ndombele and Winksy –

You can’t help but feel that the team who started the match today were something close to Pochettino’s first XI, with the exception of maybe Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris. This would hint at a young midfield partnership between academy graduate, Harry Wink, and record signing Tanguy Ndombele. I think that in the long run, these two could complement each other tremendously.

Shop window for Nkoudou… anyone?

When Georges-Kevin Nkoudou was sent onto the pitch with 25 minutes or so remaining, it felt like a forced effort from Poch to put the winger in the shop window. He hasn’t been in his plans for the last few seasons and I can’t see why that would have changed. However, I can’t see anyone bidding for him off the back of that match. Perhaps another loan deal?

How to solve a problem like Lamela –

Erik Lamela managed to stay injury-free between Asia and Germany to start the match against Madrid. In fact, he was perhaps the best player on the pitch in the first 45, showing heaps of effort and ball-carrying skills. As always, it just comes down to whether this lad can stay fit for a full season or not. Always a great squad option for Poch.

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