3 Tottenham Players with Points to Prove in Pre-Season
Despite the continued involvement of captain Hugo Lloris at the European Championship in France, Tottenham have begun pre-season preparations.
A 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest marked the first milestone of a hugely significant period for the club. Summer signing Victor Wanyama made his first appearance, but it was the positive contributions of a number of his teammates that was of greater interest.
With a busy season looming, the likes of Nabil Bentaleb, Heung-Min Son and Alex Pritchard all have points to prove. Spurs' squad depth is impressive, and competition is fierce.
Mauricio Pochettino's starting lineup is well established, but there is an opportunity for players on the outside to break in.
Nabil Bentaleb
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Nabil Bentaleb endured a hugely disappointing 2015-16 season.
After entering the campaign as a first-choice central midfielder, he was rapidly relegated to substitute status before injury killed any chance of recovery.
During his time on the sidelines, Tottenham's newly formed midfield partnership of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele blossomed into the division's finest. A perfectly balanced pair, they outshined the performances of Bentaleb and Ryan Mason in the previous campaign.
With the signing of Wanyama, Bentaleb has slipped further down in the battle for selection.
Dier is developing into an impressive deep-lying playmaker, and he's already a polished defensive presence. Dembele carries the ball with unmatched security and glides by defenders with consummate ease. Bentaleb is unlikely to displace either immediately but does have the quality to do so.
His best performances for Spurs have been fantastic, and at 21, he has the time to rebuild his now diminished position.
This pre-season looms as the most significant in the Algerian's young career. If he can break back into consideration, it will be a significant achievement.
According to Tottenham's official site, he gave an artful assist in the friendly win over Forest. That is the perfect start.
Heung-Min Son
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Heung-Min Son's debut season with Tottenham was solid but lacked the heft that was expected of a major summer signing. Eight goals and five assists is a decent return and should not be underplayed, but there is no denying Son failed to establish himself in the starting lineup.
During the offseason, Son admitted he was disappointed with his disjointed campaign in a Telegraph interview.
He has not been involved in international football this summer but has been named to the South Korean Olympic squad. Despite that, Son will still be available for the tour of Australia and has the opportunity to put himself in the first-team picture.
Son's flexibility—he is able to play as a centre forward, winger or attacking midfielder—has seen him often utilised as a back-up. With Vincent Janssen's move to Spurs reportedly close to completion, Son is unlikely to resume his peripatetic substitute's role and can instead focus on seizing a place in the attacking line behind the man forward.
Competition in that role is fierce. Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Dele Alli are comfortably ahead of Son for now. But this pre-season gives Son the opportunity to prove that he is the equal of those impressive teammates.
Alex Pritchard
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Many Tottenham supporters hoped that Alex Pritchard would break through last season. Having been handed a place in Pochettino's squad, Pritchard made one substitute appearance before injury impeded his progress.
Pritchard has the qualities to be Christian Eriksen's ideal understudy. If he can show that ability in this pre-season, he will surely be handed another opportunity. However, given that places in Pochettino's squad are at a premium, Pritchard could also drop out of consideration with a series of unimpressive performances.
Unlike Bentaleb and Son, Pritchard does not yet have the international pedigree to be assured of his continued place in the squad. He could easily be sold or sent out on another unproductive loan like his spell with West Brom last season.
The stakes are high for Pritchard, and his goal in the Forest match is an ideal beginning.
