Tottenham Hotspur Preseason: What Have We Learned and What Is to Come?

Now that we are two games into Tottenham's preseason, its time to take a look at the team and see what we've learned, as well as predict what we can expect to see in the remaining preseason fixtures.

What have we learned?

Unfortunately for Spurs fans, we've learned that Tottenham are presently far from being in the form they need to be to challenge for the Champions League this season.

When you lose 1-0 to the third best team in South Africa, and then can only follow that up with a 1-1 draw vs another South African team, you know your team just isn't good enough yet. No offense is intended to the South African league or to either team, but if Spurs can't beat South African opposition, how do they expect to beat the giants of the Premier League or even their Europa League opposition?

More specifically, we've learned that the striking department continues to be a huge weakness for Spurs. 

Despite winning a majority of the possession in both games, Tottenham's strikers wasted opportunity after opportunity, and the only goal scored from Tottenham came from Rafael Van Der Vaart, off a free kick.

In the first match versus Kaizer Chiefs, despite Harry Redknapp giving Defoe, Keane, Crouch and Pavyluchenko all equal playing time to prove themselves, none of them did. In the first half, neither Defoe nor Keane could get on the end of any of the crosses being played in for them, and Kranjcar was Tottenham's most potent weapon in the absence of Luka Modric (due to injury).

Once Kranjcar was subbed off, Bale became Tottenham's best offensive option as his cross was met by Crouch, who directed the ball toward the goal with a decent header, but the ball was well saved by Kaizer Chiefs' keeper. That would be the only decent goalscoring opportunity created by a Tottenham striker in their first game.

In the second match versus Orlando Pirates, it was more of the same for Tottenham's strikers. Bale bossed play as he provided multiple dangerous crosses and made many dangerous runs, but his crosses were not met by competent finishes from any of Tottenham's strikers.

Tottenham's best chance in the game was wasted by Aaron Lennon, and though Robbie Keane had a couple of half chances to score late in the game, nothing came of them and the game finished 1-1.

There are of course many positives to be pointed out. With Redknapp giving all his squad players an opportunity to stake their claim in the starting lineup, or at least show their talents, some unexpected players have actually looked rather decent. Danny Rose and David Bentley, for example, have put in very workmanlike displays while on the field, and have contributed positively in the playing time given to them.

It's also important to note that many players don't take preseason too seriously, and that Redknapp is still tinkering with his lineup to decide what players he wants to include in his plans for the upcoming season. So while there are some signs for concern and areas that need to be worked on, there certainly is no reason to seriously worry about Tottenham or predict a negative season for them just yet.

What is to come?

With Tottenham's poor displays in their first two preseason games, Harry Redknapp will likely be extra keen to secure some signings for his team sooner than later, particularly up front.

Redknapp has already confirmed his interest in bringing in Emmanuel Adebayor, but the move looks far from likely as the striker continues to make his desire to rejoin Real Madrid clear.

Even if he does not rejoin Madrid however, Redknapp has already complained about Emmanuel Adebayor's astronomical wages, and his plan of having Manchester City pay a portion of the strikers' wages while he is on loan at Tottenham is unlikely to come to pass. And then of course there is the small issue of Tottenham being direct rivals to Manchester City for European qualification.

Aside from that however, there are no other serious transfer moves being mooted for Redknapp and Spurs. Scott Parker, who earlier in the summer look definitely set for a move to Spurs, has been ruled out on the basis that he is too expensive, and Joe Cole rumors have been dead in the water for some time now. Spurs continue to be linked to every striker on the planet, but there doesn't appear to be serious interest from Spurs in anyone other than Adebayor at this point.

The biggest continuing Tottenham story, of course, is the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go saga of Luka Modric. Harry Redknapp has been saying all the right things to keep his playmaker happy, and even awarded him the captaincy against Orlando Pirates ahead of Michael Dawson, Jermain Jenas, and other longer-serving Tottenham players, but it remains to be seen if Luka Modric will be appeased.

For now, it seems his desire to move to Chelsea hasn't wavered, but Tottenham will be hoping that Chelsea will eventually grow desperate and sign another player to be their playmaker, like Joao Moutinho or Javier Pastore, thus paving the way for the speculation around Modric to end and for the player to remain at Totteham.

In other news, first choice defensive midfielder Sandro has played down reports that he will be out for three months with a knee injury, and claims that he will be fit to play again in only one month. Still, the injury to the Brazilian will have Redknapp reconsidering the sale of Wilson Palacios, who has been targeted by Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica this summer.

Remaining Fixtures

Tottenham will play one more game in the Vodacom Challenge in South Africa against the winner of the Soweto derby (Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates) on July 23, 2011, before returning to England to play Brighton and Hove Albion in Brighton and Hove on July 30, 2011. Tottenham will then close out their preseason fixtures with a juicy fixture against La Liga side Atletico Bilbao at home, on August 6, 2011.