Tottenham Hotspur vs. AC Milan: Things Learned from Audi Cup

Tottenham Hotspur ended their pre-season on a high with a comfortable 2-0 win over AC Milan in Munich in the third/fourth play-off of the Audi Cup.

Excellent goals either side of half-time from Nacer Chadli and Tom Carroll lit up a much-improved performance from Tottenham compared to their limp showing against Real Madrid the previous night. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino, however, will not read too much into the result against a largely poor effort from Sinisa Mihajlovic's men.

Read on for what we learned from this friendly tournament clash.

Tottenham Need a Plan B in Attack

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Erik Lamela did some good work in attack but is unlikely to be sufficient backup for Harry Kane.

With Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado on the outs since late last season, it has been clear for a while that Tottenham need a new striker or two.

Both their Audi Cup games have reiterated the need for new arrivals in the position, not only as cover for last season's top scorer Harry Kane but to give Spurs a different way of playing.

Erik Lamela started up top against Milan and did reasonably well but mostly in moments where he dropped off to link up with team-mates like Chadli and Carroll. It led to some good chances but at other points left Spurs without a real presence to occupy the Serie A side's defence.

Someone capable of really getting at opposition defences more directly whilst also offering different angles from which Spurs can attack is a must. Finding such a a player is easier said than done, but it is a must if the north Londoners want to avoid being predictable against the Premier League and Europe's better back lines.

Pochettino had said to Spurs' website post-Real about the "need to be more aggressive" in front of goal. He will be encouraged by the greater adventure and movement his team showed stretching Milan, creating better shooting opportunities than a day earlier. But that extra front man proper could still come in handy.

Milan's Soft Centre Will Be Exposed Without Improvements

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Tottenham celebrate their second goal after cutting straight through the MIlan defence.

In a piece outlining AC Milan's biggest issues in the final month of the transfer window, Bleacher Report's Blair Newman pinpointed central defence as a major one: "Milan’s back line let them down frequently throughout last season and reinforcements have yet to be made."

The point was reinforced by both their Audi Cup games this week.

Cristian Zapata particularly worked hard to try and stop Bayern Munich, but Milan still found themselves outnumbered and outclassed by Pep Guardiola's classy attack.

Against Tottenham, with Alex and Philippe Mexes at centre-back, Milan looked even softer and might have been further exposed had Kane started.

Substitute Gabriel Paletta helped bring some improvement, notably denying Chadli and Lamela when they went through on goal. But it is clear Milan need some work done at the back if they are to be tougher to beat than last season.

Milan Attack Can Thrive Without Ibrahimovic

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Matri chases Federico Fazio.

Newman also talked about the need to complete a mooted deal for former Rossoneri star and current Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With Milan general manager Adriano Galliani saying a deal is unlikely to come to fruition, per ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell, attack is one position they may actually be okay in even without the addition of the superstar Swede.

Alessandro Matri was a handful in the first half for Tottenham, causing them plenty of problems with his direct running and physical presence.

Against Bayern Munich, Carlos Bacca in particular worked hard to give the Germans something to think about and was a similar nuisance in and outside the box versus Spurs. There is plenty of reason to be excited about Luiz Adriano too, even if the new signing did not show it in the Audi Cup.

Ibrahimovic would be an outstanding signing for sure. But if he does not arrive, Milan should be okay.

Audi Cup Participation Has Been Risky for Spurs, but Youngsters Did Benefit

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This was as close as Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham would get to the Audi Cup.

Assistant head coach Jesus Perez described the Audi Cup to Tottenham's official website as "a great test as we try to get into a rhythm before we play Manchester United on Saturday."

Post-Real Madrid, Pochettino told the same site it was "a great experience to compete against these world-class players."

Only they will know how truthful they were about their feelings on Spurs' participation in a tournament so close to the start of the Premier League season. Pochettino did as much as he could to balance handing worthwhile minutes to his players in Germany while not tiring them out for Manchester United on Saturday.

It may be the case these games do help Spurs get into a rhythm. The squad's young players certainly enjoyed their showcase against such esteemed, famous opponents.

Both Dele Alli and Josh Onomah were confident and boisterous in both games. The former sparkled with some sublime individual moments of skill and daring against Real, while the latter was as influential as anyone in putting Milan on the back foot.

Tom Carroll and Harry Winks showed few signs of being burdened either by the relatively high-prestige occasion, both staking good claims for more minutes.

Still, given the calibre of their opening day-opponents, this trip might still come to be regarded an unhelpful exertion.