Tottenham's pre-season tour of South Korea is brought to you in association with Nord VPN, sponsors of football.london's coverage.
Four new signings absent
A handful of fans made it clear on social media ahead of the game that it was typical of Tottenham Hotspur to have four of the club's five new signings absent for the first friendly of the summer. With Clement Lenglet not making the trip to Asia as his move from Barcelona last Friday meant he was without the necessary documentation to travel to South Korea in time, the game also came too soon for Ivan Perisic as he steps up his fitness from a calf injury.
football.london then revealed on Wednesday morning that both Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma would also miss the encounter against Team K League because of illness. That meant Richarlison was the only new Spurs signing named in the squad, with the former Everton man starting in a front three alongside Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura.
Linking up well with Lucas early on as he set his teammate up for a strike following a neat flick, the 25-year-old then showed his quality as he burst into the area and rounded two of his opponents only for a heavy touch to play in Emerson Royal, who somehow prodded wide from point-blank range. He then had a chance of his own just before half-time but he couldn't generate the power in his header from Emerson's cross to beat the goalkeeper.
READ MORE: Tottenham second half player ratings vs Team K-League: Son Heung-min and Harry Kane steal show
Disappointing to see four of the new signings miss out on making their Tottenham debuts, the players in question will get their opportunity in the coming weeks with Sevilla, Rangers and Roma to come before the new campaign.
What Kulusevski and Davies were doing before kick-off
Antonio Conte was handed a blow on Monday as Dejan Kulusevski left Monday's training session early with what looked like a precaution due to a small calf problem before the players took part in a match drill. Absent from training the following day, question marks surrounded the Swede leading up to the Team K League friendly.
Kulusevski was out on the pitch at Seoul World Cup Stadium ahead of the game working on his fitness, with Spurs teammate Ben Davies joining him. The duo were getting down to work before the rest of the squad had even emerged as they did a number of runs.
Once the rest of the players did come out to do their warm-up, both Kulusevski and Davies did their pitch-long runs down one side of the field while their teammates worked. Neither were involved in the contest as they watched on from the sidelines, although they were on the pitch at full-time to applaud the fans.
Skipp making up for lost time
Six months on his from last Tottenham appearance, Oliver Skipp was back in the Spurs XI for the pre-season friendly against Team K League. Excelling in the first part of last season and becoming a regular in the team, injury unfortunately left him on the sidelines from the middle of January onwards and it was an extremely frustrating time for both the player and Conte.
Having worked his way back to fitness ahead of his return to Hotspur Way for pre-season training, the England Under-21 international was intent on making up for lost time in the friendly. Assured on the ball when he was in possession, Skipp, who was wearing his new No.4 shirt for the very first time, showed his quality on a couple of occasions with driving runs through the middle, with one of those leading to an opportunity on goal for Gil.
One swift turn to bamboozle his marker midway through the first half even saw him receive a big 'ooooh' from the vocal crowd inside Seoul World Cup Stadium. It was a very good return for the player.
Gil impresses
Gil may have only joined from Sevilla one year ago but he already faces a crucial period in his Tottenham career. Given limited minutes last season as he tried to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, the winger finished the campaign on loan with Valencia.
Now back at Hotspur Way after his time in his home country, the youngster faces a vital few weeks which could determine whether or not he is still a Spurs player come the start of September. Key to remaining at Tottenham for the new season will be to impress Conte and demonstrate that he has what it takes to cope with life in the Premier League on a weekly basis.
Well, Gil was given his chance from the start against Team K League and took his opportunity with both hands. Looking extremely sharp, the Spaniard had some great moments on the ball and used it well when in possession as he sprayed it about.
He even got an assist to his name as he teamed up with Eric Dier as the Spurs centre-back opened the scoring with a powerful effort. Gil was only on the pitch for the first 45 minutes but he and Conte will have been very pleased by his display.
Now it's about replicating his performance and trying to hit another level in Spurs' final three games of the summer before their Premier League opener against Southampton.
Vio makes his mark
It didn't take long at all for Harry Kane to make his mark on the pitch after coming on at half-time. Putting in a cross moments after his introduction that resulted in an own goal, he then got one for himself from distance with a brilliant left-footed strike.
Spurs were awarded a penalty not long after for a blatant handball, with the England captain allowing Son Heung-min to step up and net in front of his adoring fans in Seoul. You can guarantee that is one thing Kane will not be doing once the season gets going as he will be intent on taking penalties himself.
The frontman did find himself on the scoresheet for a second time, this time netting a direct free-kick from just outside the area that found the back of the net via a deflection. Much has been made of Kane taking free-kicks for Tottenham in the past as the striker's last goal from a set piece came way back in November 2014.
As well as bringing five new players to the club this summer, Conte has also made an important signing with set piece coach Gianni Vio joining his backroom team. Rated extremely highly in the game and well known for having reportedly designed 4,830 different routines, Spurs will be hoping that his introduction leads to a big improvement on one of the team's biggest weaknesses.
It does already look like that the Italian has had a big impact on the team only a few days into his job with Kane finally ending his barren run from free-kicks. Hopefully a few more will now follow as Spurs look to turn a big weakness into a key strength.
READ NEXT:
Tottenham first half player ratings vs Team K-League: Eric Dier rocket as Bryan Gil impresses
- Tottenham news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Full Tottenham Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
The man behind Antonio Conte's brutal Tottenham training session which made Harry Kane sick
Eric Dier declares England intention and excitement at Tottenham's 'great' transfer window
