Tottenham Hotspur's Impressive Pre-Season Win Over Hoffenheim

Mikey Moore walked off the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pitch with the match ball and a question hanging over his future, but on this evidence he looks far too sharp to be anyone’s afterthought.

Tottenham brushed aside Hoffenheim 3-0 in their first home outing since scrambling clear of relegation in May, a comfortable pre-season win that kept Roberto De Zerbi’s side unbeaten and offered a few clear clues about what comes next.

Moore and Bergvall make their point

Two players who have spent the summer reading about possible exits did their talking where it matters.

Moore, 19, was close to a loan move to Bundesliga side Cologne last week. That deal is now on ice, and De Zerbi suddenly has a decision to make. The academy graduate struck twice after the break, both times fed by Mathys Tel, and both finishes carried the composure of a player who looks ready for senior responsibility.

His first, a simple tap-in from Tel’s driven ball across the box, brought only a muted celebration. The second told a different story. Timing his run, taking Tel’s pass in stride, Moore finished deftly and this time allowed himself to enjoy it. The destination for his season remains undecided, but performances like this drag the conversation back towards north London.

Lucas Bergvall, another name heavily linked with a move away earlier in the window, also used the afternoon wisely. Newcastle and Nottingham Forest had circled the Sweden international two months ago and his future beyond deadline day is still not guaranteed, yet his display here backed up De Zerbi’s public stance that he wants the midfielder to stay.

Given regular minutes throughout pre-season, Bergvall looked assured and involved again, the kind of performance that eases concerns about game time and strengthens the manager’s hand in any transfer debate.

Robertson wastes no time

On the left flank, Andy Robertson looked like a man who has not come to London to wind down his career.

The Scotland captain left Liverpool in search of more minutes. He played like someone determined to lock down this side of the pitch for good. Time and again he drove forward, whipping in the sort of trademark deliveries that made him a mainstay at Anfield.

One of them broke the deadlock. Robertson found space, glanced up and sent in a pinpoint cross that begged to be finished. Richarlison obliged, steering in the opener and setting Spurs on their way.

At 32, Robertson’s signing was hailed as much for his medal collection and dressing-room influence as his legs. Against Hoffenheim he showed those legs are far from gone. With Destiny Udogie still missing from pre-season and doubts lingering over the Italy international’s fitness, Robertson has seized the opening. On this form, he looks almost certain to start at Brentford next Saturday, and Udogie may find dislodging a full-back nine years older is anything but straightforward.

Kinsky answers the question in goal

At the other end, Antonin Kinsky offered a firm reminder of why De Zerbi has handed him the No 1 shirt.

Spurs’ clean sheet owed plenty to the 23-year-old, who produced several important saves to keep Hoffenheim out and exuded calm whenever the visitors threatened. He handled crosses cleanly, showed confidence with the ball at his feet and looked entirely at home in a system that asks its goalkeeper to do far more than just stop shots.

Seven months ago, Kinsky endured a nightmare in Madrid. This felt like the completion of a turnaround. With Guglielmo Vicario left out and Juventus eyeing a move for the Italy international, Kinsky has stepped into the vacancy and, on this evidence, claimed it on merit.

New faces, missing names

Robertson was one of four summer arrivals to make their home debuts. Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Sensi also featured, bedding into a side that, for now, keeps winning in pre-season and looks increasingly shaped in De Zerbi’s image.

Not everyone was on show. Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes were among the notable absentees, their non-involvement a reminder that this squad is still incomplete in both fitness and selection terms.

Spurs supporters will hope some of those missing pieces reappear on Sunday, when the same opponents return for a behind-closed-doors game at the club’s training ground. Then comes the real thing: Brentford away, next Saturday, live on Sky Sports, and a fresh Premier League campaign for a club that only just escaped disaster a few months ago.

They are unbeaten in pre-season. Their youngsters are pushing back against the exit rumours. Their new signings are already influencing games. The question now is whether this new edge survives when the points start to count.