Playing for 90
Fansided

5 Tottenham lessons from Juventus match

By Rucker Haringey

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 26: XX Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 26: XX Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 26: Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur controls the ball during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 26: Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur controls the ball during the 2016 International Champions Cup match between Juventus FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /

2. Victor Wanyama is a beast

In just one match at Tottenham, Victor Wanyama managed to endear himself to almost every Spurs fan on the planet. He was everything we wanted Etienne Capoue to be several seasons ago.

The Kenyan midfielder may not be an offensive dynamo (although he did make the key pass leading to Erik Lamela’s goal) but he’s an absolute defensive stalwart. His presence in front of an extremely shaky Spurs back four allowed Tottenham to stay in the match during a very rough opening half.

If Wanyama can consistently remain on the right line of the physical vs. dirty line, he’s going to be a huge asset for Mauricio Pochettino. In fact, I think it’s going to be difficult to keep him out of the starting 11 for any extended period of time. Most often, I think that rest and injuries will provide him a clear opening, but it’s not impossible that he could simply outplay Eric Dier or Mousa Dembele.

At the absolute least, he’ll give Pochettino a great deal of flexibility this season. In particularly tough matches, he could start Dier and Wanyama together in the double-pivot with Dembele in a slightly advanced position. That would give Spurs with an immense physical advantage in the middle of the pitch over almost any opponent.

Wanyama should be able to become a fan friendly pretty quickly at White Hart Lane. Perhaps he’s more like the new Sandro than the new Capoue.

Next: 1. Erik Lamela might explode

Home/Tottenham Hotspur