Opinion: Five things we learned from the 2-1 loss to Watford in pre-season

Tottenham Hotspur ended their pre-season in defeat this afternoon as they found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-1 result away to Watford.

A sloppy first-half performance from Spurs saw the Hornets race to a 2-0 lead before Son converted a penalty in the second 45.

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

Spurs lacking a centre-forward – 

Yet another example of how Tottenham are missing a back-up to Harry Kane. The Englishman was away on international duty, leaving Heung-min Son to lead the line, although the South Korean struggled out of position. Spurs simply must add a new striker in the next week in order to deal with the immense upcoming fixture congestion.

Hart a little out of practice – 

Joe Hart received a start between the sticks today in the absence of Hugo Lloris, although the former Man City man did his reputation no good after letting a very saveable shot hit the back of the net. Hopefully, Hart can get back to his best with some more game time under his belt.

Dennis Cirkin shows naivety – 

While the young left-back impressed for the majority of the opening 45 minutes, he showed his naivety when pulling on the shirt of a Watford attacker in the box, giving away the penalty that made it 2-0 and somewhat ended the contest. Cirkin was then taken off at half time, certainly doing his chances at earning Mourinho’s trust at a young age some harm.

Tanguy Ndombele returns –

Ndombele returned to the starting line-up today for the first time in pre-season after contracting COVID-19. The midfielder only managed 45 minutes, which was to be expected seeing as if was his first run-out. He seemed his usual ambling self off the ball, while showing glimpses of quality with the ball at his feet.

Harvey White impresses –

Perhaps the one shining light in a frustrating defeat was the performance of young Harvey White in the middle of the park. The teenager looked tenacious, silky on the ball, consistent with his passing, and mature in his decision-making. Yet another example of Tottenham’s fantastic track record of promoting central midfielders from the academy, following the likes of Winks, Skipp, Mason, Bentaleb, and more.

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