Lamela and Janssen shine as Spurs take positives from defeat

Spurs 0 Atletico Madrid 1

Spurs will return from their pre-season jaunt to Australia without a win, but there were plenty of positives for manager Mauricio Pochettino to reflect on as his young side were beaten by Atletico Madrid, three days after losing 2-1 to Juventus.

Diego Godin scored the winner for Champions League finalists Atletico after a mistake from 19-year-old defender Anton Walkes. The young centre-back made a hash of a clearing header allowing the Uruguayan to poke the ball home late in the first half.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Spurs were unlucky not to get anything from the game after twice hitting the post, through Erik Lamela and Joshua Onomah, and forcing keeper Jan Oblak into a number of saves. But Pochettino will be unconcerned by the results after fielding experimental teams in the two games.

"The trip gave him a chance to run the rule over youngsters he will probably not get in the win-at-all-costs forthcoming Premier League season and if narrow defeats to Juventus and Atletico in pre-season can be used as a measuring stick, then the kids are alright," says the Daily Mail.

And although he did not score in either game "the performances of £17.5m new striker Vincent Janssen also seem to suggest that in the willing Dutchman, Pochettino has finally found someone to take some of the burden from Harry Kane's shoulders".

Lamela also impressed for the second game running, says Metro. While young midfielder Ryan Mason gave his manager "food for thought" before the start of the season.

But Spurs are not quite the finished article, says The Guardian. They "looked inventive, confident and sharp, though might struggle to compete for the title unless they can find an elite player either from within or without".

They also showed a measure of inexperience, that the return of seasoned campaigners may cure. "There was little to choose between the two teams but [Diego] Simeone's side exhibited the little bit of added nous that Spurs will need to learn - quickly - if they are to become, like their opponents, a force in the Champions League next season," says the London Evening Standard.