Real Madrid 0-1 Tottenham: 4 talking points
Real Madrid and Tottenham clashed in the semi-final of the four-team Audi Cup at the Allianz Stadium in Germany.
In what was a continuation of their poor run of form in pre-season fixtures so far, Real Madrid fell to a 1-0 defeat, with a 22nd-minute goal from Harry Kane settling the contest.
The Spanish giants came into the match having failed to win any of their preceding three fixtures in normal time, with their 7-3 mauling at the hands of city rivals Atletico Madrid being the lowest point.
On the back of that disgraceful performance in New Jersey, Zidane would have been seeking a response, but the reverse seemed to be the case as his players proved incapable of performing at the levels required if they are to reach their targets next season.
Given that preseason serves as a means to get players in shape while also blending in new players and testing preparedness, there would have been many pointers for both sides in the match. In this piece, we highlight four talking points from Real Madrid’s clash with Tottenham.
#1 Los Blancos’ poor start to matches continues
In what has been a worrying recurrence, Real Madrid found themselves behind in every one of the three preseason fixtures before their date with Tottenham, falling 1-0, 2-0 and 5-0 to Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid at the interval respectively.
The trend continued against the Lily Whites, as a Harry Kane goal in the 22nd minute of the first half ensured that Real Madrid went into the break on a deficit once again.
The abundance of quality within the Real Madrid squad ensures that finding their way back from any deficit is not an issue as the game against Arsenal proved, but it is a dangerous way to live, evidenced by the fact that they failed to win any of the other three matches.
Every football game is divided into two halves of 45 minutes each, and it is in Real Madrid’s best interests if they can find a way to stem the tide of giving themselves too much work to do in the second 45 minutes by stepping to the plate in the first half of matches.