The ideal test
There was to be no third successive friendly win but Antonio Conte and his Tottenham team can take plenty of positives from Wednesday evening's 1-1 draw against Nice. After beating Motherwell and Peterborough United Under-21s in behind-closed-door games at Hotspur Way, Spurs were on track for another victory after Matt Doherty had continued his impressive scoring streak in front of goal with a powerful strike that flew past Kasper Schmeichel..
Creating a number of openings but not managing to give themselves a crucial two-goal cushion, the visitors restored parity one minute after the restart as Antoine Mendy equalised from close range after the ball had fallen kindly to him in the box.
Tottenham did push on for a second but there was to be no way past Schmeichel, with Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal testing him and Harvey White seeing a shot trickle wide of the target.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Nice: Pape Matar Sarr and Bryan Gil impress as Matt Doherty scores
Following the comfortable wins prior to the visit of the Ligue 1 outfit, the Nice game was always going to be a big step up in Tottenham's preparations and exactly what they needed prior to the Boxing Day game at Brentford.
Boasting the likes of Ross Barkley and Nicolas Pepe, who was booed on a number of occasions due to his Arsenal connections, Nice did cause Spurs a few troubles at times, although Forster only had one real save of note to make from the ex-Everton man in the opening 10 minutes.
As nice as it would have been for Tottenham to beat Nice, the result wasn't the be-all and end-all of the friendly match as it was vital for Conte to see the team putting work from the training ground into practice and making sure they are in the best possible position to attack the return of Premier League football. Players such as Doherty and Yves Bissouma were Tottenham's standout players on the night, with others giving Conte plenty of reasons to be cheerful after delivering very good performances.
Now it is about doing it in the Premier League and Tottenham ensuring their mixed form from earlier in the season is a thing of the past.
Sarr and others seize their opportunity
Tottenham's three friendly games have given a number of those on the periphery of the side the chance to catch the eye of Conte ahead of the restart. The head coach may have had limited players to work with during the mid-season break due to many participating in the World Cup in Qatar, but the big positive for many is that it has given them some quality time with the 53-year-old.
After registering goals and assists in their first two friendlies, Bryan Gil once again looked sharp and caught the eye with some impressive play. Always looking to take the game to Nice and cause problems with his pace and trickery, the Spaniard got himself into some promising positions but his final ball was lacking on a few occasions.
The youngster did have a good opening to add to his tally shortly before the break after Doherty played him in with a precise ball, but the ex-Sevilla ace could only shoot straight at Schmeichel. Bryan continued to be a problem for Nice after the break and his display will certainly have been noted by his head coach, especially with Lucas Moura and Richarlison carrying injuries at present.
The second half saw Pape Matar Sarr called upon as he replaced the returning Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at half-time. Representing Senegal at the World Cup and doing well in his 45-minute cameo against England, the youngster was back at Hotspur Way last week and got a handful of minutes towards the end of the 3-1 win over Peterborough's Under-21s.
This time he was handed his first real run out under Conte, thus giving the head coach and fans a good opportunity to take a closer look at the highly-rated star. He certainly didn't look like a player short on regular first-team football as the confidence was very much there, notably midway inside the second half when he lifted the ball over Barkley's head and played a first-time pass to Bissouma just as the ball dropped to the ground.
Always positive in his play and showing some excellent touches when linking up well with his teammates, he also displayed his liking for a shot from distance, as was clear to see in Senegal's Round of 16 match vs England. Quite how much we see of Sarr in the second part of the season remains to be seen but he gave those watching on a glimpse of what he can do for Spurs in the future.
Perhaps a game that suited him down to the ground having come up against Nice in Ligue 1 action for Metz, Sarr, and Conte for that matter, should be very pleased following his first outing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
White was another one that grasped his opportunity with both hands as he again lined up in a front three with Bryan and Kulusevski.
Winning a free-kick in a dangerous position early in the first half, it was the Swede who instead stepped up and fired straight down Schmeichel's throat when White himself may have been the better equipped to take it due to his set-piece prowess. The midfielder had a glorious opportunity to grab himself a goal not long after the restart as Emerson's shot was saved by Schemeichel and fell kindly into his path.
He unfortunately dragged his effort from just inside the area wide of the far post, however. Not having the opportunity to play under Conte following the head coach's arrival in November 2021, the ex-Portsmouth loanee has had a big role to play in the last three friendlies and he is another who has certainly taken his chance to impress the Italian.
The returning players
Wednesday's friendly against Nice also saw a number of those involved in World Cup action return to pitch for Tottenham. Hojbjerg was the only player to start following his time away in Qatar, playing 45 minutes before he was replaced at the break by Sarr.
Eric Dier, who only returned to their Enfield base this week, was introduced midway inside the second half as he took Davinson Sanchez's place at the back, with Ben Davies coming on at the same time after making a swift recovery from the oblique muscle injury he sustained at the World Cup in Wales' defeat against England.
Eight minutes later and Son Heung-min took to the pitch for Tottenham for the first time since sustaining a fracture around his left eye at Marseille, receiving a huge ovation in the process when he took his first steps on to the pitch. Wearing his face mask to protect the injury, Sanchez, who had come off a few moments earlier, could be seen standing behind Son and adjusting the strapping on the mask when his teammate was by the dugout and ready to come on.
Very little fell Son's way in his 16 minutes on the field. He did look to have a sight of goal following a long through ball but not even he could get on the end of the weighty pass with Schmeichel always set to come out on top in that battle.
Richarlison was another of Tottenham's stars playing at the World Cup but he at present is awaiting the results of an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury he sustained prior to Brazil's match against Croatia. The forward took a seat close to the dugout and watched on as his teammates went up against the French side, with Kane also in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Kane and Dier may have both represented England at the World Cup but it was only the latter who featured against Nice. Maybe not a surprise given the centre-back played 33 minutes in Qatar in comparison to the striker's 403 minutes, there was never a need to rush Kane back into action as the Brentford game takes priority as he looks to make a fast start back to life in the Premier League following his and England's World Cup heartache.
Unlucky Spence and Skipp
Djed Spence and Oliver Skipp unfortunately missed out in the Nice game having both suffered with a fever leading up to the encounter. It really was a cruel blow for both, having played limited minutes for Spurs in the first part of the campaign.
Spence can certainly count himself extremely unlucky after two positive performances in Tottenham's friendlies. Spurs fans were desperate to see him take to the field and impress against Nice, thus strengthening their argument even more that he should be getting more chances had he wowed down the right once again.
The clamour from supporters for the summer signing to start will continue in the second part of the campaign and only get louder if Spurs' woes in the right wing-back position continue. Providing that he recovers in time for the trip to Brentford, Spence could be vying with Emerson for a starting spot on the right as Doherty impressed once again from the left.
As Ivan Perisic's World Cup campaign only came to an end a week ago and Ryan Sessegnon didn't take to the pitch against Nice despite returning to the squad following his recent injury, Doherty will be leading the way to start from the left as things stand at present. He should be in the team on merit and Conte will be hoping that his current hot streak in front of goal continues at Brentford and in the other games over the festive period.
Doherty is certainly one a of number of positives the boss can take from the past couple of weeks following a very good period at Hotspur Way. Reacting very well to extended time on the training pitch with Conte in the second half of last season, hopefully the same happens again this time around.
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