Tottenham beat Hoffenheim 3-0 in a Club Friendly on Friday. The match ended with three goals for the hosts and none for the visitors. It was the kind of result that tells you little about either team's real form, but the goals came at interesting moments.
Richarlison put Tottenham ahead in the 35th minute. By then the visitors had settled into their shape, but the break in play caught them. To be fair, it was a clean finish from close range. Hoffenheim's defence had been holding its line, but the timing of the run was right.
The second half brought a storm of changes. Eleven players were swapped at the break, which is more than most coaches would normally risk. M. Moore came on and found himself in the right place by the 59th minute. And here's the thing — two goals in quick succession changed the rhythm entirely.
Moore added his second in the 79th minute. Tottenham then turned to the kids, bringing on Bergvall and Wimmer in the final minutes. The match was over as a contest long before that, but the substitutions told a story about squad depth rather than tactics.
The numbers tell their own tale. Tottenham held 61 per cent possession but only registered 0.85 expected goals. Hoffenheim created 1.37 xG from six shots on target and saved four times. One mistake ends it when you are defending like that, and the visitors got dragged out of position.
This was a pre-season fixture, so the table means nothing. But the result extends Tottenham's unbeaten run to five matches, with three wins and two draws. Hoffenheim have won three of their last five, including two clean sheets on the spin. By then you start wondering what the real gap is between these sides.