As someone who follows Barca and Spurs closely, I really enjoyed yesterday's match. On the Spurs side of things, there was both good and bad. One piece of transfer biz to get out of the way--Rodon has been loaned to Leeds for the season, so hopefully he can perform well and Spurs can sell him off next summer.
First the good. Sanchez actually looks viable as a CB under Ange in these early days. I'd still sell him now, as we've seen this story before and both player and club deserve a fresh start. But nonetheless, it bodes well for our other maligned players. Bissouma looks like the real deal and should be cemented as thre 6 in the XI. GLC continued his good performances and I'd say it's 50-50 whether he starts next to Maddy or whether it's Skipp. I think Ange sees GLC as the backup to Maddy, so Skipp will get the nod. Skippy! He's really got a nose for goal and he seems to bring the physicality necessary for that B2B MF role. GLC has a better touch and can help break presses better, but if Skipp is providing end product, he'll likely earn a starting spot. Hoj is the backup to Yves at the moment, and I think Sarr needs to go out on loan or be sold. Tanguy obviously needs to go too. Perisic continues to do very well in the LW role and his service led to both goals. I also loved when he wrecked Barca's backup keeper late in the game--gives you some real insight into him as a player. I thought Solomon was quite good too, and he looks capable at both spots and seems to fit Ange's system hand in glove.
Second the so-so. Vicario did poorly on the first Lewa goal and didn't look totally comfortable on several other occasions, but he also made some impressive saves showcasing his athleticism. He looks like a keeper that needs some substantial training and he's going to learn on the job. The comparison to MATS was stark. I thought Richy did his role well but was also quite anonymous. He had one turn and snapshot that just missed, but otherwise he mostly occupied CBs, created space with good workrate, and led the press admirably.
The bad. I don't think Porro is viable against anything but bottom half/bottom quartile competition right now. He's just terrible about tracking runners behind him and the books out on him. When Spurs need to chase the game or want to play aggressively he can provide real value, but I don't see how he starts over Emerson any time in the near future. Dier was quite bad again and since this is the last year of his contract I don't see him leaving. But I think it's a real bad situation if he's the third CB. Reggie also looks pretty bad and well below a [Spurs] level replacement player. Davies can be the more defensive counterpart and backup to Udogie, Reggie should be sold to a La Liga club for whatever they can get--he has £5.5 remaining due over 2 seasons, so if they can get more than that he should be gone.
Overall, I thought the team looked pretty cohesive and the press was good throughout. They played a high line and almost got burned many times but the players knew the system and were really trying to play nice football. The backline was 3/4 shambles but even that just shows how well Dav played. Other than CB, Spurs look pretty good heading into the season. My XI with backups in parentheses:
Son (Perisic)-Kane (Richy)-Deki (Solomon)
Maddy (GLC)-Skipp (GLC)
Yves (Hoj)
Udogie (Davies)-VDV (Sanchez)-Cuti (Sanchez)-Emerson (Porro)
Vicario (Forster)
That's 18 outfield players, plus 2 keepers, so there's still 5 spots: 21. Dier, 22. Veliz, 23. Scarlett, 24. Devine, 25. ??? (In order of likelihood: Sarr, Japh, Spence, Whiteman/Austin)
Out: 2 of Sarr/Japh/Spence, Reggie, Tanguy
