6 stars, 2 flops from Tottenham's weekend friendlies against Hoffenheim
Tottenham Hotspur shredded up Hoffenheim 3-0 on Saturday, and while they fared out less well in the second fixture of the friendly double header against the resurgent German side, they still created plenty of chances in a 2-2 draw to keep the spirits up before Matchday 1 next weekend against Brentford.
Here were the stars and flops from the weekend's action.
Star: LW Mathys Tel
Brilliant. Beyond brilliant. The young Frenchman has been the big, big star of the preseason for Tottenham and left his best performance for last against a good club from his old league. Tel was dazzling with his passing, grabbing a pair of assists with passes that his teammates could not screw up. He is brimming with confidence under Roberto De Zerbi.
Star: RW Mikey Moore
Mikey Moore looks ready to feast on the Bundesliga this season with FC Koln, rebounding from a poor preseason to finish on a high note with two goals off the boot of Tel. Even though Moore does not usually play on the right wing, he looked lively and lethal.
Flop: LB Souza
Souza looks good when he is on the ball, but the young Tottenham Hotspur fullback is showing he is not ready for the big time from a defensive stand point with suspect man marking.
Star: ST Richarlison
On effort alone, Richarlison is a much better striker option than Dominic Solanke, and he has likely played himself into a safe position in Roberto De Zerbi's final Tottenham squad now.
Star: DM Sandro Tonali
Beyond his superior technical quality on the ball, Sandro Tonali is so good at reading the game and making athletic interventions defensively that Tottenham also aren't really going to notice much of a drop off on the defensive end between Tonali and Joao Palhinha when adding it all up.
Flop: AM James Maddison
James Maddison honestly does not look sharp right now, and Tottenham fans have to quietly be worried about his fitness coming off the ACL tear. Will he ever be back to his best? He has to prove that.
Star: LB Andy Robertson
After disappointing performances to start the preseason, the new Tottenham left back showed up in a big way on Saturday against Hoffenheim with solid progression on the ball and pretty close to elite defensive work, which Spurs are going to need in 2026/27 from him on the left flank.
Star: DM Mateus Fernandes
The weight of passing Mateus Fernandes provides is so classy, and he is far, far above the previous midfielders last year on Tottenham.
