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Real Madrid and Tottenham clashed in the semi-final of the four-team Audi Cup at the Allianz Stadium in Germany.
In what was a continuation of their poor run of form in pre-season fixtures so far, Real Madrid fell to a 1-0 defeat, with a 22nd-minute goal from Harry Kane settling the contest.
The Spanish giants came into the match having failed to win any of their preceding three fixtures in normal time, with their 7-3 mauling at the hands of city rivals Atletico Madrid being the lowest point.
On the back of that disgraceful performance in New Jersey, Zidane would have been seeking a response, but the reverse seemed to be the case as his players proved incapable of performing at the levels required if they are to reach their targets next season.
Given that preseason serves as a means to get players in shape while also blending in new players and testing preparedness, there would have been many pointers for both sides in the match. In this piece, we highlight four talking points from Real Madrid’s clash with Tottenham.
#1 Los Blancos’ poor start to matches continues
In what has been a worrying recurrence, Real Madrid found themselves behind in every one of the three preseason fixtures before their date with Tottenham, falling 1-0, 2-0 and 5-0 to Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid at the interval respectively.
The trend continued against the Lily Whites, as a Harry Kane goal in the 22nd minute of the first half ensured that Real Madrid went into the break on a deficit once again.
The abundance of quality within the Real Madrid squad ensures that finding their way back from any deficit is not an issue as the game against Arsenal proved, but it is a dangerous way to live, evidenced by the fact that they failed to win any of the other three matches.
Every football game is divided into two halves of 45 minutes each, and it is in Real Madrid’s best interests if they can find a way to stem the tide of giving themselves too much work to do in the second 45 minutes by stepping to the plate in the first half of matches.
#2 Tottenham are good to go in the striking department
Much of Tottenham’s progress in the last few years has been down to incredible teamwork and managerial acumen of Mauricio Pochettino. However, Harry Kane has also played a huge role in taking the Lily Whites to new heights.
His record in front of goal since becoming a regular has been immaculate, but if there was one problem the club had, it was a lack of backup option, as multiple strikers have failed to prove their mettle in the absence of Kane at White Hart Lane.
The 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner kicked off his preseason with an exquisite goal from the halfway line against Juventus, and he continued his good run against Real Madrid, capitalizing on a defensive mix up to put his side ahead.
However this is to be expected and it is rather the performance of his young compatriot that would get heads turning.
Troy Parrott is a 17-year-old Tottenham trained academy graduate who turned heads with his displays for the youth sides and stepped up to the big time with a calmly taken goal against Juventus.
Against Real Madrid, he started from the bench, but proved a handful for the Los Blancos backline upon entering the fray for his senior colleague in the 66th minute and could have gotten his name on the score sheet only to see his angled low shot beat Hugo Loris but not the post in the 86th minute.
Harry Kane would, of course, remain Tottenham’s chief goal threat and talisman, but while it might be too early to place too much burden of Parrott, the early signs are definitely good.
#3 Gareth Bale impasse continues
When Gareth Bale was signed by Real Madrid from Tottenham in the summer of 2013, it was believed that despite making him the world’s most expensive player, the Welshman would step to the levels expected of him and show the form that made him a two-time PFA Player of the Year in the Premier League.
However, six years on, 13 major trophies and 102 goals later, there are many who still feel the 3-year-old has not done enough at the club to justify his huge salary outlay with head coach Zinedine Zidane being the chief proponent of this view.
Over the last four months since his return to the Madrid bench, the Frenchman has told whoever cared to listen that the Welshman has no part in his plans, and it was seen as a foregone conclusion that Bale would depart the Bernabeu this summer.
However, complications to his transfer have arisen chief of which is Bale’s huge salary; but when Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning stepped in with a mammoth offer; it was all but a foregone conclusion that Bale would ply his trade in Chine next season.
In shocking scenes, Real Madrid pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute and while there might be justifiable reasons to this course of action, it is one that reportedly left both player and manager fuming.
The fallback effect of this is that Gareth Bale was left off Real Madrid’s team sheet to face Tottenham, as he seeks a way to end his Bernabeu nightmare.
With less than a month to go in the transfer window, the Bale and Zidane standoff are still at crossroads with no end in sight but in the interest of all parties involved, it would be best to find a lasting solution quick.
#4 Despite over €300m spent, Real Madrid still look unprepared
Real Madrid’s dismal performance last season meant that an overhauling of the squad was needed, and they towed that path, spending in excess of 300m to bring in five new players to the Bernabeu with Eden Hazard being the marquee signing.
On the strength of this, fans are within their right to expect that the club would challenge on all fronts next season, but as their displays in preseason have shown, those expectations might just be too lofty.
Apart from in the second half against Arsenal, Real Madrid have looked utterly devoid of ideas in their other three-and-half fixtures, with their debilitating defeat to Atletico Madrid being the worst of the lot.
Team captain Sergio Ramos downplayed the defeat, dismissing it as just a preseason fixture, but like his manager said, that it was a preseason fixture does not excuse Real Madrid’s woeful display.
Against Tottenham, it was more of the same, as new boy Tanguy N'dombele and Harry Winks totally bossed proceedings in the middle of the pack further highlighting the unreliability of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to last the distance over the course of the season and the need for Paul Pogba’s addition to the midfield.
In attack, Eden Hazard continued his disappearing act in a Real Madrid shirt, while there was hardly any player in white whose performance was worthy of praise; although Rodrygo was lively on occasion had a goal correctly ruled out for offside in the second half.
The defence also looks dishevelled and should have conceded more than the lone goal they did against Tottenham.
However, it is not just the players that look disjointed, as Zidane himself has tinkered and changed to no avail.
Against Tottenham, Real Madrid filed out in a 4-4-2, with Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema leading the line and this was the fourth different attacking combination the 47-year-old has tried in four preseason matches.
This coupled with the fact that injuries have been unkind to Real Madrid, with Ferland Mendy, Luka Jovic, Brahim Diaz and worst of all Marco Asensio all out with one form of injury or the other makes for grim reading.
There is also the Gareth Bale conundrum in addition to a shortage of numbers in midfield to worry about and considering all these, you realize that Real Madrid are not as prepared as was thought just a month ago.
