Tottenham vs. AC Milan: Solid Spurs Ready for Premier League Opener

Tottenham claimed their first victory of a short pre-season with a 2-0 win over AC Milan on Wednesday.

In both of their previous warm-up matches, against the MLS All-Stars and Real Madrid, Spurs had performed well at times but looked short of fitness and creativity.

Mauricio Pochettino named an unfamiliar lineup that was a mix of youth and first-teamers.

It was unsurprising that Harry Kane was left on the bench for this fixture, given Tottenham's reliance on him for the coming season.

As it was, Nacer Chadli was ostensibly the centre-forward and Erik Lamela and Tom Carroll were selected behind him with young Josh Onomah. During the match, Lamela and Chadli rotated in the central role, with both drifting into wide areas to disorient Milan's defence.

Chadli seemed to relish the responsibility, demanding possession and making good use of it.

His early goal reflected Spurs' dominance of the opening exchanges and seemed to damage their opposition's confidence.

The Belgian received the ball on the right corner of the penalty area and burst across goal to escape his marker before firing a curling shot to give Spurs the lead.

He has had a fine pre-season and looks ready to pick up where he left off in his last campaign.

Eric Dier started once more in midfield, this time alongside Nabil Bentaleb, and gave another mixed performance. Dier knows what to do with the ball but continues to look unsure of where he should be when the opposition has possession.

Obviously, this is a concern if Dier is expected to deputise in defensive midfield.

Should Pochettino continue with the experiment during the season, Dier is good enough to develop those raw elements of his game, but he is not yet ready to face the formidable Manchester United midfield.

The Italian giants are earlier in their pre-season preparations and were unable or unwilling to force the pace.

Their defence was especially poor, and Spurs probably should have handed them a more significant defeat.

Spurs were, by contrast, comfortable and played at a solid tempo before substitutions inevitably took the sting out of the game.

The return of Hugo Lloris was the most important outcome of the match, with the Frenchman proving himself fit enough to start Saturday's Premier League opener against Manchester United. Lloris replaced the solid youngster Luke McGee, who began the game in Spurs' goal and—although he was nearly caught out by a cheeky lob—gave a good account of himself.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Tom Carroll has yet to establish himself as a Premier League star, but his instincts and footballing intelligence are first-rate. They were reflected in his second-half goal.

His perfectly timed run beat Milan's advancing defensive line, and he was able to place his shot beyond the reach of Milan keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Carroll made similar runs twice in the first half, both times pushing his shots inches wide.

Kieran Trippier played the perfectly weighted ball for Carroll, and his impressive pre-season form could see him oust incumbent Kyle Walker, who was not called from the bench. In all likelihood, Walker was rested ahead of Saturday's season opener, but Trippier appears to be an excellent alternative.

That such a young Tottenham side could dominate a Milan team full of big names is encouraging.

Harry Winks and Onomah, both of whom have only enjoyed cameos so far in the pre-season, got time to really show off their talent against Milan and both impressed.

Neither are close to the first team, but they prove that—despite a summer of sales—Spurs do not lack for depth in midfield.

While this mini tournament has served its purpose for Spurs, there has been a worrying lack of time for their first-choice lineup to play together.

Across the pre-season, Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Bentaleb, Kane and Chadli have all proven their form and fitness. All four full-backs have had impressive moments.

There are question marks over who will play wide on the right at Old Trafford, while Bentaleb's partner in midfield remains to be seen.

Ryan Mason returned against Milan but played just 40 minutes, while Dele Alli has looked excellent and could be a surprise selection. Mason made his Premier League debut after impressing in a League Cup cameo, so Pochettino has set a precedent of elevating deserving players regardless of their level of experience.

Mousa Dembele was omitted against Milan and seems likely to slot in somewhere at Old Trafford.

Given United's depth in midfield, it makes sense to utilise Dembele's strength on the ball to help ensure Spurs can control enough of the ball.

Spurs are ready to begin their Premier League campaign, but there are many questions that will only be answered when Lloris leads his side out on Saturday afternoon.