Tottenham Hotspur will begin their pre-season preparations with a friendly London derby against West Ham United in Perth on Tuesday. It will mark the start of the Ange Postecoglou era at Tottenham, as the Australian coach takes charge after a chaotic 2022-23 season for the club.
Last season, Tottenham finished eighth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for any continental competition. Antonio Conte launched a scathing attack on his players, and Tottenham conceded 63 goals over the course of the season. As a result, Tottenham will miss out on European football for the first time in 14 seasons.
In their search for a new manager, Tottenham approached several candidates, including Arne Slot, Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique, and even their former coach Mauricio Pochettino. However, they eventually settled on Postecoglou, who won three trophies with Celtic last season.
As part of their pre-season tour in the Asia-Pacific region, Tottenham will also face Leicester City and Lion City Sailors. Before that, they will play a charity friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk. The team will be looking to rebuild their squad and add silverware to their cabinet after a 15-year trophy drought.
On the other hand, West Ham United have already secured wins in two exhibition matches this summer against Boreham Wood and Perth Glory. They will be looking to continue their winning momentum against Tottenham.
West Ham had a challenging domestic season, flirting with relegation for several months. However, they made up for their domestic shortcomings by winning the Europa Conference League. They kicked off their pre-season campaign with a convincing 6-2 victory over Perth Glory, showcasing their attacking firepower.
West Ham recently sold their captain, Declan Rice, to Arsenal for £105 million. They will look to reinvest the funds in new signings and defend their Europa Conference League crown. In addition to the friendly against Tottenham, they will also play games against Dagenham & Redbridge, Rennes, and Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Both teams will be missing some key players due to injuries and summer commitments. Tottenham will be without Rodrigo Bentancur, Fraser Forster, Bryan Gil, Troy Parrott, and Ryan Sessegnon. Additionally, club captain Hugo Lloris will not be traveling with the team as he explores potential transfer options. However, star striker Harry Kane has made the trip and could feature in the starting lineup.
West Ham’s absentees include Ben Johnson, Lucas Paqueta, Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, and their former captain Declan Rice. Luizao, who scored an own goal in their 6-2 win over Perth, could partner with Kurt Zouma in defense.
In terms of a predicted lineup, Tottenham could field Guglielmo Vicario, Porro, Romero, Dier, Udogie, Hojbjerg, Bissouma, Maddison, Kulusevski, Kane, and Son. West Ham’s possible lineup could include Fabianski, Laing, Zouma, Luizao, Cresswell, Bowen, Downes, Potts, Fornals, Ings, and Scamacca.
In conclusion, both Tottenham and West Ham will be eager to start their pre-season campaigns with a win. Postecoglou will be looking to make a positive impact in his first game in charge of Tottenham, while Moyes will want to continue West Ham’s winning form. It is expected to be an entertaining match with goals on both ends, and Tottenham might come out on top in a close contest.
