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5 talking points from Tottenham's dramatic 3-2 defeat against Roma

Harry Winks nets for Spurs
Harry Winks nets for Spurs

A late goal from Marco Tumminello gave Roma an entertaining 3-2 victory against Tottenham at the International Champions Cup.

Aleksandar Kolarov made his Roma debut and saw his team throw away a two-goal lead before sealing a dramatic win.

Ben Pearce looks at what we learned from the match.

READ MORE: Tottenham lose thriller to Roma

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Tottenham are cheered on by a partisan crowd

There was little doubt who the favoured team were at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Tuesday night.

White shirts were everywhere in the stands, and “we’ve got Dele Alli” rang around the stadium at kick-off, followed by renditions of “Oh when the Spurs” as the half progressed.

While a percentage of the crowd were probably locals who simply took the opportunity to come and watch two prestigious European teams in action, there was certainly a lot of genuine Tottenham supporters present.

They voiced their dismay when Roma were awarded a controversial penalty, urged their side on when they attacked and bellowed for a spot-kick when Harry Kane went down in the Italians’ area early in the second half.

Spurs may have been a long, long way from north London, but at times it probably felt like they were playing in front of a home crowd.

Those in attendance got their money’s worth in terms of entertainment at least, even if their team lost at the death.

Roma celebrate their amazing win
Roma celebrate their amazing win

Cameron Carter-Vickers is dealt another blow

Spurs’ young defender, who has pledged his international allegiance to the USA, would have been hoping to impress more than most on this tour of the States, but things have not really gone his way.

On Saturday he was at fault for Paris St Germain’s early opener, committing himself needlessly on the halfway line – and he was also the one looking glum when Roma went 1-0 up in the second match of this trip.

This time, however, there was little the 19-year-old could do about his mishap. Radja Nainggolan’s cross hit his hand, which was down by his side, at point-blank range and it came as a surprise when the aptly-named referee Hilario Grajeda, who initially waved play on, then consulted with a linesman and awarded a penalty.

It was very harsh on Carter-Vickers. However, he still did not look comfortable, and he has a habit of getting on the wrong side of his man, having to chase frantically back. Unfortunately he does not look quite quick or strong enough to atone for any errors.

He was also booked during his first-half outing against Roma as ex-Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko got in behind him, with the referee penalising the tussling that was required to halt the Serbian.

Carter-Vickers wasn’t the only back-up defender who had a forgettable night though. Kevin Wimmer replaced Vertonghen on the 70-minute mark and, seconds later, presented Roma with their second goal.

While the Austrian managed to cut out a low cross from the left side, he failed to get enough on the ball and clear the danger. The ball simply rolled to Cengiz Under, who finished from eight yards.

All in all, Tuesday’s events leant weight to the feeling that Spurs need to sign a centre-back.

Jan Vertonghen attempts to block Cenzig Under's shot
Jan Vertonghen attempts to block Cenzig Under’s shot

Anthony Georgiou proves to be the most impressive youngster

For the second match in a row, Pochettino gave opportunities to Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah and Carter-Vickers, naming the trio in his starting line-up – but this time all three were given slightly different roles.

Carter-Vickers was named in a three-man defence as Pochettino switched from 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1 system, alongside Toby Alderweireld and Vertonghen, while Walker-Peters moved from right-back to left-back, where he played at the Under-20 World Cup.

Onomah, who has generally been used by Pochettino on the right side of midfield, would prefer a deeper, more central role – and this time he got half of his wish, being deployed in a two-man attacking midfield line alongside Dele Alli, behind Harry Kane.

What stood out with Onomah was his strength. Despite only being 20 years old, he already looks the part physically, and when he got on the half-turn, he was able to protect the ball.

On one occasion, he did just that and played the ball wide to Kieran Trippier, whose inviting low cross was well defended as Kane attacked the near post.

However, Onomah was also guilty of losing possession on a few occasions; of trying to do too much and taking on more than he could handle, while some of his passing lacked accuracy.

A desire to impress is understandable. After all, the main criticism of Walker-Peters on Saturday was that he looked a little too keen to give the ball to a senior colleague rather than backing himself.

Yet, despite some encouraging moments, Onomah was still unable to conjure up anything meaningful in the final third.

Meanwhile, Walker-Peters seemed to benefit from being in the 3-4-2-1 formation, which gave him more licence to get forward and extra cover behind him.

He looked more confident against Roma than against PSG, carrying the ball forward and at one stage playing his part in a move that ended with a Dele Alli shot.

Yet Walker-Peters was eclipsed by his lesser-known half-time replacement, Anthony Georgiou, who offered pace and took every opportunity to attack down the left flank.

An early cross was nearly deflected to Kane, and at one point he won the ball deep in Roma’s half before seeing a shot tipped over the bar.

Another 20-year-old, he showed no fear, embraced the occasion and imposed himself on the game, making his presence felt.

It appears Pochettino rates other youngsters above Georgiou, but this was nonetheless a confident and impressive 45-minute showing.

Harry Kane failed to breach a well-drilled Roma defence
Harry Kane failed to breach a well-drilled Roma defence

Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou star in a late comeback – but dramatic climax ends in agony

With five minutes of the 90 remaining, Spurs were 2-0 down and it seemed the game was over – but they launched a late fightback.

First Harry Winks finished off a goalmouth scramble at close range. Then, in the 90th minute, Nkoudou scampered down the right wing and crossed for Janssen, who prodded home at the near post.

Suddenly it was 2-2, the Tottenham fans were in delirium and a penalty shoot-out was looming.

Yet, seconds after the restart, all of Spurs’ hard work was ruined as Roma regained their lead, with Marco Tumminello (the Italians’ No93) stretching to convert a cross.

It is an irritating and rather overused word but, if ‘Spursy’ ever makes it into the dictionary, this could be the example given for its proper use.

On the up side, if we are looking for evidence of progress from Tottenham’s fringe players, Nkoudou and Janssen did exactly what they were bought to do when the Lilywhites got their equaliser, and might both derive some confidence from the goal.

‘Friendly’ turns rather feisty

This may have been a pre-season outing with little riding on it, but there was still an intensity to the contest which turned into something more heated.

Harry Kane twice exchanged words with opponents, while Dele Alli got involved in the second dispute and squared up to Kevin Strootman.

Spurs’ coaching staff also had a run-in with the officials and, at one point, Pochettino appeared to be sent to the stands. He declined to do so.

The Argentinian explained after the match: “He wanted me to be sent off, but I said ‘come on, that’s no sense, because we were talking in Spanish and nobody could understand us’.

“It was all good I think. It was not a problem. I apologised to him about my behaviour.”

In terms of a contest, this was certainly a step up from Tottenham’s opening friendly against PSG – and the temperature might just rise again during the next match against Premier League rivals Manchester City in Nashville at the weekend.

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