Lucas Moura shows signs that £25m transfer fee was not wasted as he stars in Tottenham’s friendly win over Roma
Tottenham 4-1 Roma: Brazilian got himself on the scoresheet twice along with Fernando Llorente as Spurs’ second string see-off Italian side in style
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Your support makes all the difference.It would be easy for Mauricio Pochettino to follow the example of Jose Mourinho and spend the duration of his California pre-season trip bemoaning the hand that fate has dealt him.
Mourinho has been bewilderingly grumpy from the moment he was first confronted by a microphone in Los Angeles last week; rueing his meagre three summer signings and his raft of World Cup absentees. It’s set the tone. Judging by Manchester United’s underwhelming performances, the spirit of negativity appears to have transcended to the playing squad.
But Pochettino has far more to complain about than Mourinho. Whether it’s the financial limitations of the new stadium or Pochettino’s pickiness over fresh faces, there have been no additions to the Spurs squad, and the clock is ticking with alarming speed.
Whether there will be any new signings or any of the club’s nine World Cup semi-final representatives available on the opening weekend of the Premier League season is a major question mark hanging over the club’s hopes of remaining in the top four.
But despite the lack of signings, despite the quantity and quality of their World Cup absentees and despite playing at a 70,000-seater stadium that was less than a third full, Spurs’ approach in San Diego on Wednesday night was faultless. There was a hunger, energy and goal threat to Pochettino’s side as they ruthlessly exposed a Roma team who kept most of their big hitters in reserve until the second half.
Spurs’ attitude was summed up by Christian Eriksen. Three weeks and four days after the dejection of Denmark’s last 16 shootout defeat to Croatia, the 26-year-old was back in a Spurs shirt and far from going through the motions. He was bright in an inside left role – elegantly curling an angled shot against the outside of the post from 20 yards out, early in the first half.
But Eriksen is such a well-established cog of this Spurs side, that pre-season, for him, is merely about knocking off the rust from his brief post-World Cup break. For those handed an opportunity in southern California because of the glaring absences of their more high-profile team-mates, it’s a rather more important affair.
Homegrown midfielder Luke Amos retained possession effectively in the holding role, while fellow academy product Cameron Carter-Vickers was solid enough after the early defensive lapse which saw Patrik Schick allowed to turn and find the bottom corner from 14 yards out.
But it was last season’s new acquisitions, Serge Aurier, Fernando Llorente and Lucas Moura who really caught the eye. All three were captured on the deadline days of either the August or January windows, so perhaps a pre-season has been necessary for them to truly feel at home under Pochettino’s guidance.
Llorente expertly headed home an eighth-minute equaliser after generating his own power on the ball, when the deflection on Amos’ right wing cross appeared to have taken all the pace off it.
The Spaniard then put Spurs ahead when he cushioned the ball into the empty net after Roma stopper Antonio Mirante was only able to parry Moura’s back post volley.
While Moura was denied on that occasion, the Brazilian persistently drifted in from the right and into the box, and eventually got his rewards. Here was more encouraging evidence over why Spurs splashed out £25m on his services last January, before he was limited to a mere six first-team appearances.
Moura opened his account by getting ahead of his marker to head home Aurier’s pinpoint right-wing cross and then doubled his tally on the stroke of half-time by showing good footwork to skip past a challenge on the edge of the box and fire a low shot into the bottom corner.
After a five-goal first half, the second was more of an exercise in both managers gently introducing their big-hitters to the fray. The likes of Daniele De Rossi, Justin Kluivert and Edin Dzeko all came off the bench for Roma - the latter drawing a smart save from Spurs substitute Paulo Gazzaniga after the former Manchester City striker curled an audacious effort towards the far post.
Likewise, Pochettino was able to grant some minutes to World Cup pair Son Heung-Min and Davinson Sanchez, which should have provided the Argentine with real encouragement. Amidst the doubts over whether Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld (if not sold) will be ready for Spurs’ curtain-raiser at Newcastle, Pochettino badly needs Sanchez and Son’s services.
Son will only be available for that Newcastle trip, before he links up with the South Korea squad for the Asian Games and misses a month of Premier League action.
Yet when asked about the striker afterwards, Pochettino shrugged his shoulders and said: “Of course, Son is a very important player for us. It’s a reality that I don’t like, but I can’t change.”
It summed up the difference with his Manchester United counterpart.
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