Tottenham Hotspur continue their tour of New Zealand and Australia with their latest clash against Sydney, and it is time for our first-half player ratings.
Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Sydney
Martin Dubravka – The veteran goalkeeper had his first test after a bit of sloppy play in midfield but proved equal to the long-range effort. He was left scrambling after Mathias Macallister tried an audacious effort from his own half, but it went wide. 7.
Rio Kyerematen – The 21-year-old has often offered support to Mathys Tel with his overlapping runs from left-back. He found himself in the box several times and did get a few shots off, one of which was blocked while another was saved. 7.5.
Ben Davies – The 33-year-old is offering experience to what is a very young defensive line and has received a lot of the ball during build-up play as Tottenham often look to play out from the back. He, just like Hardy, has been positive in his play, often looking to play forward passes. 7.
Malachi Hardy – The young centre-back has not been shy when in possession, often getting on the ball and keeping things moving. He has also looked to drive forward from deep when the opportunity presents itself. A solid display so far. 6.5.
Tye Hall – While Kyerematen has looked to offer attacking support, such runs have been few from Hall, who looks a lot more conservative in his approach. 6.
Archie Gray – The midfielder is currently occupying the defensive midfield role, shielding the back four, and he has looked really solid in the role, keeping things moving and ticking from deep. The youngster was caught in possession and allowed Sydney their first sniff, but it was saved by Dubravka. 6.
Lucas Bergvall – The Swede has looked assured in the middle of the park against Sydney in what is his first pre-season start. His passing has been crisp and very varied, a good mix of short and long balls. 7.
Conor Gallagher – Had one of the best chances of the half for Tottenham after Manor Solomon’s cutback found him free right on the top of the penalty spot, but his shot lacked power, allowing Sydney to clear. He did have another opportunity after pouncing on a loose ball but again failed to hit the target. His third attempt on goal saw him hit the woodwork from yet another Solomon cutback. 6.
Manor Solomon – Just like Tel, Solomon has been a bright spark for Spurs out on the right as he remains a creative threat. He created one of the better chances of the first half with a cutback to Gallagher, but the midfielder scuffed his lines. 7.
Richarlison – There is a clear intent to press from the front in this setup, and Richarlison has stuck to that task, closing down the Sydney goalkeeper and giving him little time on the ball. His pressing did force an error, but Tel failed to convert. 5.
Mathys Tel – The wide forward looked really lively in the first half with much direct running at the Sydney defence. He came close to giving Tottenham an early lead after he pounced on a loose ball from Sydney shot-stopper Hoefsloot, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper. Had he picked out either corner, it could well have been a goal. He eventually produced a moment of brilliance with a stunning free-kick from the edge of the box, finding the top right corner. 8.5.