Tottenham's Unbeaten Preseason Concludes with Hoffenheim Draw

Tottenham wrapped up an unbeaten preseason with a 2-2 draw against TSG Hoffenheim at their training ground, a low-key sequel to yesterday’s polished 3-0 win but one that told De Zerbi plenty about his squad’s depth, fitness and a few nagging worries.

This was no glossy stadium occasion. No crowd, no fanfare, a heavily rotated XI and a manager clearly more interested in minutes than in aesthetics. Yet the game still managed to cram in a soft penalty, a thunderous volley, a standout teenager and a few clues about what’s coming when the real stuff starts.

Absentees return, squad thickens

The team sheet was the first big talking point. Names that had been missing or barely seen all summer suddenly reappeared: James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Souza and Damola Ajayi all made their first preseason outings. Kevin Danso and Mateus Fernandes, used sparingly so far, also came back into the fold.

For De Zerbi, it was the clearest sign yet that his options are finally broadening. With the Premier League opener looming, this looked less like a patched-up group and more like the skeleton of a proper matchday squad.

A “Frankensquad” on paper, 4-2-3-1 on grass

On paper, the XI looked chaotic. Central midfielders everywhere. No recognised striker. One natural winger. It felt like someone had hit “shuffle” on the squad list.

De Zerbi didn’t blink. He stuck to his 4-2-3-1. Fernandes and Bentancur anchored midfield, Sarr operated as a No 10, with Luca Williams-Barnett and Ajayi out wide, and Maddison asked to lead the line as a false nine.

It never really suited him. Maddison repeatedly dropped deep to help with buildup, often stepping on Sarr’s toes positionally. Spurs still stitched together some nice passages, but this was clearly an exercise in getting legs moving rather than perfecting patterns.

Given the lack of orthodox forwards available, it was a compromise. An odd one, but a necessary one.

The Micky van de Ven question

One name was missing again. Micky van de Ven.

He has not played a single preseason minute. Others with minor issues – Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie – have at least surfaced in some capacity. Van de Ven, a late returnee after the World Cup with the Netherlands, remains a mystery absentee.

Given his injury history, the silence around him grows louder by the day. Spurs can talk up depth and flexibility all they like; without their quickest, most aggressive defender at the heart of the back line, they will be weaker when the season starts. That’s the reality.

Hoffenheim hunt the mistake

Just as they did in the 3-0 defeat the day before, Hoffenheim pressed high and hard, clearly briefed on Spurs’ insistence on playing out from the back.

They targeted the right side. Tye Hall at right-back and Brandon Austin in goal saw the bulk of the pressure. Both had uncomfortable spells on the ball, rushed into loose passes and turnovers.

Hoffenheim’s opener came straight from that script. Austin tried to find Maddison dropping deep; Leon Avdullahu pounced, robbed him, and Maddison then compounded the error by dragging the winger down in the box. Adam Hlozek buried the penalty. Spurs’ commitment to building from the back never wavered, but the margin for error was brutally exposed.

Maddison rusty and punished

Maddison’s return is important for Spurs. His passing vision gives this team a dimension they otherwise lack.

Right now, though, he is short of sharpness. He drifted in and out of the game, producing the odd clever ball but never really dictating. The penalty incident summed up his afternoon: slow to react, pressed aggressively, then forced into a desperate foul.

No alarm bells yet, but he clearly needs minutes before he looks like the player who carried so much creative burden last season.

Fernandes shows his range

If Maddison looked rusty, Mateus Fernandes grew into the game.

The first half showcased his delivery in the final third. A low cross from the right fizzed just ahead of an onrushing Sarr. Then, from a short corner routine, he worked a neat one-two before whipping in a cross that Ben Davies met with a firm header for the equaliser.

After the break, his full passing repertoire came out. Long, raking diagonals. Driven switches. Lofted balls that stretched Hoffenheim from touchline to touchline. Spurs lacked that kind of risk-taking distribution last season; Fernandes looks ready to change that, and he finished the full 90 to underline his growing importance.

Austin stands tall

Hoffenheim’s press rattled Austin with the ball at his feet, but with his hands he was excellent.

He produced a sharp near-post stop to deny a flick from Nathan De Cat, then stood up brilliantly when Adam Daghim burst clear, making a vital intervention one-on-one.

Taken together with Martin Dubravka and Antonin Kinsky, Spurs might not boast a single undisputed elite goalkeeper, but they do have a trio who cover the position with unusual depth and balance. And that’s before Guglielmo Vicario is even mentioned.

Williams-Barnett steals the show

Luca Williams-Barnett was the best player on the pitch.

He tormented Vladimir Coufal repeatedly, gliding past him off the dribble. The difference from earlier preseason outings, such as against Sydney FC, was what came next. Instead of putting his head down and chasing a shot, he picked his moments, threading crisp passes and making smart decisions in the final third.

His goal capped it all. Sarr produced a brilliant dribble to escape Albian Hajdari, then slid a reverse pass into Williams-Barnett’s path. The teenager met it first time, side-footing calmly into the net to give Spurs a half-time lead.

Performances like this will not send him out on loan; they will push him closer to first-team minutes. With attacking depth still thin, he has kicked that door, hard.

New names, same pathway

De Zerbi’s commitment to the academy has been a running theme this summer, but this match pushed even deeper into the youth ranks.

On the bench sat 15-year-old Mikel Jack, son of former Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, so fresh to the setup he did not even have a squad number. Reiss Elliot-Parris and Miracle Adewole also made their first senior appearances in Lilywhite.

Neither 18-year-old had a major impact on the game itself, but that almost misses the point. For a club that talks so often about pathways, seeing them step onto the pitch with the first team matters.

Fitness first, result second

The pattern of preseason held. This was about conditioning, not choreography.

Maddison was withdrawn at half-time, replaced by Elliot-Parris, a natural striker. Souza and Ajayi, both returning from injuries, were carefully managed and came off around the 70-minute mark. Sarr and Williams-Barnett played the bulk of the game before making way late on.

The standout was Fernandes, who went the distance. With Spurs facing mostly one-game weeks this season, the groundwork laid in these friendlies could be decisive.

Hoffenheim did find a leveller after the break, Valentin Gendry thundering in a volley that gave Austin no chance. It didn’t change the mood. The unbeaten preseason stayed intact. The legs looked strong. The ideas are taking shape.

Now comes the real question: is this just a promising summer, or the launchpad for something far more serious?