5 Tottenham talking points: Harry Kane stuns Juventus at the death

Mauricio Pochettino should be satisfied with his squad’s win over Juventus. Here are five Spurs talking points after the match. 

Harry Kane‘s terrific effort from just inside the halfway line gave Tottenham a well-deserved 3-2 win over Juventus in Singapore. This piece won’t simply regale you with details about the match. Instead, we plan to delve deeper into what Mauricio Pochettino might have learned about his squad against the Old Lady.

To that end, here are five talking points Tottenham fans should consider in the aftermath of the intriguing victory. Most of the news for Spurs was decidedly positive coming out of the match.

5. Kane looks ready for battle

Recent pictures of Kane’s improved physique have been making the rounds on Spurs’ social media. The talented striker backed those photos up by putting in an energetic performance in his club’s first preseason match.

Sure, his stoppage time goal was sensational, but his overall work rate was much more important. Don’t be afraid to make a sizable wager on Kane to win another Golden Boot.

4. Kyle Walker-Peters has a chance to start at right back

The sale of Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid leaves a clear opening in Pochettino’s starting XI at the right back position. Serge Aurier and Juan Foyth will get their chances to claim the position as their own, but Walker-Peters made a strong step forward on Sunday.

He may not have created any sterling scoring chances going forward, but he was a steady defender on the whole. That’s what Pochettino needs to see from the youngster if he’s going to trust him as a consistent starter. The right back battle is far from over, but Walker-Peters can count this match as a solid victory.

3. Left back is a potential issue

Almost all of the news coming out of this match was positive for Spurs, but the left back position looked very shaky. Any idea that Anthony Georgiou could be a factor was quickly dismissed after his ugly giveaway gifted Juventus an early scoring opportunity. He’s an energetic player, but it’s unlikely he will carve out a future as a first-team player at Tottenham.

Ben Davies and Danny Rose may reprise their performance as co-starters this season, but the club still need to add a young, dynamic player to help improve the squad’s ceiling. Ryan Sessegnon may not be that player. It’s possible his future lies further up the pitch.

2. Tanguy Ndombele is reminiscent of N’Golo Kante

It’s fair to be pessimistic about any incoming transfer who is compared favourably to one of the Premier League’s brightest stars. Fortunately for Spurs fans, comparisons between Ndombele and Kante seem to have some real validity.

It’s obviously entirely too soon to declare Ndombele a star, but his opening salvo against Old Lady was quite promising. His first touch on the ball as a Spurs player resulted in a brilliant assist. His second effort on the ball ended when he blasted a shot just wide of goal.

After that, the Frenchman wasn’t as flashy, but he showed a real engine in the middle of the pitch. That’s going to be huge for Tottenham as he grows more comfortable with his manager and teammates. His quick turns and touches in the midfield absolutely remind you of Chelsea’s world-class star.

1. Troy Parrott is ready to play 

It’s unclear whether or not Pochettino employed a 4-3-3 formation or a 4-3-1-2 setup to start the match. No matter what, 17-year-old striker Troy Parrott didn’t look out of his depth in the slightest.

On the contrary, he looked like a veteran. It was his clever run and subsequent shot on goal that led to Erik Lamela‘s opening goal. Against lesser keepers, it would have been Parrott celebrating his first score with the senior squad.

Parrott’s performance against Juventus made Fernando Llorente look very expendable. He’ll struggle with consistency due to his youth, but it’s very likely Pochettino is going to throw him into the fray this season.