Tottenham's Unbeaten Preseason: Key Players Return and New Faces Shine

Tottenham finished their unbeaten preseason with a 2-2 draw against TSG Hoffenheim at their training ground – a far looser, more experimental run-out than the polished 3-0 win 24 hours earlier, but one that still told plenty about where Roberto De Zerbi’s squad stands a week out from the real thing.

Hoffenheim struck first from the spot after James Maddison hauled down Leon Avdullahu, only for Spurs to flip the score before the break through Ben Davies and the increasingly eye-catching Luca Williams-Barnett. Valentin Gendry’s thumping volley levelled it after the interval and closed the book on a summer in which Spurs didn’t lose once.

What mattered more than the score, though, was who played, where they played, and how ready they looked.

Absentees Return, Depth Takes Shape

De Zerbi finally had a few of his missing pieces back on the board.

• Maddison
• Pape Matar Sarr
• Rodrigo Bentancur
• Souza
• Damola Ajayi

all made their first appearances of the summer. Kevin Danso and Mateus Fernandes, who had only featured in flashes, were back in from the start as well.

For a manager who has been juggling injuries, late returns and academy promotions all month, this was the first real glimpse of something resembling a senior core. It hinted at a deeper, more rounded group being available for the Premier League opener, even if several of them are still short of top speed.

A Midfield Monster of a Line-Up

Look at the teamsheet and you might have wondered if De Zerbi had lost a bet.

Three central midfielders. Two attacking midfielders. One winger. No recognised striker.

Yet he resisted the temptation to go rogue with the shape. On paper, it was still his preferred 4-2-3-1: Fernandes and Bentancur as the double pivot, Sarr nominally at No 10, Williams-Barnett and Ajayi wide, and Maddison asked to operate as a false nine.

In practice, it was fluid bordering on chaotic. Maddison repeatedly dropped deep to knit play, often ending up on the same lines as Sarr, who also drifted into build-up zones. The structure bent, but it didn’t break, and the trade-off was obvious: get minutes into as many key legs as possible, even if it meant a “Frankensquad” for a day.

It wasn’t elegant. It didn’t need to be.

The Van de Ven Question

One name still missing from everything: Micky van de Ven.

He has yet to play a single preseason minute. Some knocks in the squad have been explained away as minor – Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie among them – but information on Van de Ven has been thin.

His late return from the World Cup with the Netherlands explains part of the delay. The concern comes from his history and the fact that others who went deeper into the tournament have already seen action. With every passing game, it feels less like precaution and more like a problem.

If he is indeed carrying something, Spurs will start the season without their defensive lynchpin. That changes the ceiling of this team.

Hoffenheim Smell Blood in the Press

Hoffenheim had clearly done their homework.

They stepped high again, just as they had in the 3-0 defeat, determined to punish Spurs’ insistence on playing from the back. Their pressing traps were obvious and effective, especially on Tye Hall at right-back and goalkeeper Brandon Austin.

Whenever Austin tried to thread passes into midfield, blue shirts pounced. One slightly loose ball into Maddison turned into the opening goal: Avdullahu stripped him, Maddison pulled him down, Adam Hlozek rolled in the penalty.

The pattern repeated often enough to serve as a warning. De Zerbi will not abandon his principles, but opponents now have a template for how to rattle Spurs in their own third.

Maddison Rusty and Exposed

Maddison’s return is vital to Tottenham’s creativity. His sharpness is not there yet.

He floated into pockets, tried to link play, and produced the odd clever pass. The touch is still there. The tempo isn’t. The penalty incident summed it up: dropping deep to receive from Austin, he took too long, was robbed by Avdullahu, then compounded the error by dragging the winger down.

Hlozek did the rest from the spot.

No alarm bells yet, but the gap between “fit enough to play” and “fit enough to dominate” was plain. Spurs will need the latter version of Maddison quickly.

Fernandes Shows His Range

If the first half didn’t fully showcase Mateus Fernandes’ reputation as an aggressive passer, it did underline his quality in the final third.

Early on, he whipped a low cross from the right that was just ahead of a sliding Sarr. From a short corner routine, he exchanged passes, then hung a superb ball into the box that Davies attacked and buried with a firm header.

After the break, the game opened up and Fernandes started to dictate. He pinged crossfield passes with both whip and loft, stretching Hoffenheim from touchline to touchline. Those diagonals, driven and precise, repeatedly shifted the point of attack and hinted at a weapon Spurs sorely lacked last season.

He went the full 90, too. That matters.

Safe Hands, Even Without a Star Name

Austin had his shaky moments under pressure in possession, but when it came to shot-stopping he delivered.

He reacted sharply at his near post to keep out a Nathan De Cat flick-on, then stood up big to deny Adam Daghim in a near one-on-one. It was a composed display from a third-choice keeper who may see more minutes than expected across a long season.

With Austin, Martin Dubravka and Antonin Kinsky, Spurs might not boast a clear world-class No 1 in reserve, but they do have a trio that covers most bases. And that’s before Guglielmo Vicario is even mentioned.

Williams-Barnett Takes Centre Stage

Luca Williams-Barnett again looked like he belonged on a different timeline.

Nominally a winger, he gave Vladimir Coufal a torrid afternoon, repeatedly gliding past him on the dribble. The difference from earlier in preseason, notably the Sydney FC outing, was what came next. Head no longer down, he lifted it, picked passes, and found teammates with crisp, incisive balls instead of forcing shots.

His goal was the highlight. Sarr slalomed away from Albian Hajdari and slipped a reverse pass into the box. Williams-Barnett met it first time, side-footing calmly into the net to give Spurs a half-time lead.

For a teenager, it was mature, controlled, and ruthless. A loan might be premature, but on this evidence, senior minutes this season are not a fantasy – especially with attacking depth still thin.

Fresh Faces Step Into the Light

De Zerbi has leaned heavily on the academy all summer, but most of the names have been familiar to anyone who follows the U-21s.

This time, there were true newcomers.

• Fifteen-year-old Mikel Jack, son of former Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, made the bench without even having a squad number.
• Reiss Elliot-Parris
• Miracle Adewole

both came on in Lilywhite for the first time.

Neither teenager changed the game, and that wasn’t the point. Two 18-year-olds stepping onto the pitch with the senior side in a competitive-style environment is a statement about the pathway De Zerbi is intent on preserving.

Managing Minutes, Building a Base

The pattern of preseason held: fitness over fireworks.

Maddison was withdrawn at half-time for Elliot-Parris, a natural striker. Souza and Ajayi, both coming back from injuries, were managed carefully and departed around the 70-minute mark. Sarr and Williams-Barnett played most of the match before coming off late. Fernandes stayed out there until the end.

With only one game a week on the horizon for much of the campaign, this meticulous minutes management feels deliberate. Spurs will not win anything in August, but they can lose legs there. De Zerbi is determined to avoid that.

An unbeaten preseason, key players returning, youngsters pushing, and a clear identity taking shape. For a fanbase starved of tangible proof that this project is moving forward, the question now is simple: can this version of Tottenham carry that conviction into the games that count?