Tottenham Hotspur closed out their pre-season tour of Australia in dramatic fashion, with Richarlison netting a stoppage-time winner against Chelsea despite playing the closing stages with ten men. The result at Accor Stadium extended Spurs' unbeaten run through the summer schedule and gave head coach Roberto De Zerbi plenty to reflect on ahead of his first full season at the helm.
Having reduced numbers for the closing stages, Tottenham were pushed back as Chelsea searched for an equalizer. A flurry of chances came Chelsea's way, but goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky produced a string of important saves, one of which saw him tip an effort from Estevao onto the crossbar, to preserve the scoreline until Richarlison struck almost with the final touch of the match.
The win rounds off a tour that offered De Zerbi a broad look at his squad, even if the picture in some areas remains far from settled. Spurs now return to north London to host LaLiga side Getafe this weekend, followed by a double-header of friendlies against Bundesliga club Hoffenheim.
One clear takeaway from the trip has been Kinsky's emergence as Tottenham's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. With Guglielmo Vicario expected to depart, De Zerbi opted to promote from within, and the young shot-stopper has repaid that faith. His form late last season proved crucial in keeping Spurs in the Premier League, and his display against Chelsea, capped by several key stops, suggests he is ready to carry that responsibility into the new campaign.
Defensively, however, there is clearly more work to be done. De Zerbi took a 36-man squad on tour but struggled to field a settled backline throughout, largely due to a mix of injuries and players returning late following World Cup commitments. Without Djed Spence or Pedro Porro available, the manager was forced to experiment with different options at right-back, while new arrival Jan Paul van Hecke managed only 46 minutes of action across the entire trip.
Destiny Udogie did not feature at all because of fitness concerns, and there were no minutes for Micky van de Ven either. Andy Robertson, making his first start in a Tottenham shirt against Chelsea, looked short of sharpness. With the Premier League opener against Brentford fast approaching, De Zerbi will be conscious that time is running short to build a reliable defensive unit.
Up front, though, Mathys Tel offered a more encouraging sign. Despite limited playing time last season, the Frenchman finished as one of Tottenham's most productive attacking players, his four league goals placing him joint-third in a side that often struggled for goals. His tour form only reinforced that impression: an eye-catching cameo against Auckland was followed by a well-executed free-kick to put Spurs ahead against Sydney FC, and the team's attacking threat noticeably dipped once he was substituted.
De Zerbi has long been an admirer of Tel, having tried to sign him previously while in charge of Marseille, and the striker's recent performances suggest he could become a key attacking outlet if given consistent opportunities to occupy more advanced positions. While Tottenham are widely expected to pursue reinforcements in the transfer market, particularly out wide, Tel's tour form is a reminder that the club may already have unfinished business to address with players already on their books.
With the new Premier League season edging closer, De Zerbi now faces the challenge of turning these fragmented glimpses of form into a cohesive unit capable of competing from matchday one.
Based on reporting from standard-football.