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Tottenham's pre-season preparations will go up another level later today with their first friendly of the summer coming against Team K League in South Korea. Departing London on Saturday evening, Antonio Conte's team have been putting in the hard yards over the past few days as they plan ahead for the 2022/23 campaign.
Their intense work now is only going to benefit the team in the months ahead and they will be looking to make a good start in the first of their four friendlies this month. As is always the case in pre-season, there will be plenty of rotation in games as established stars, new signings and promising youngsters all look to get some vital minutes under their belt.
Here we take a look at what to look out for in Tottenham's friendly match against Team K League.
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Conte's selection
All eyes will be on the teamsheet an hour ahead of kick-off to see who Conte selects in his first starting XI of the summer. As the players returned to pre-season training at Hotspur Way in different stages with a number of them playing international football in June, those who were back first could be the ones who get the nod to begin with before he rotates at half-time.
New signing Ivan Perisic is not available for the match as he is still working his way back to fitness after sustaining a calf issue in his final game for Inter Milan. There are then question marks over Dejan Kulusevski as he left Monday's training session early and then didn't take part the following day.
New signings
Although Perisic is absent due to injury and fellow new addition Clement Lenglet has not made the trip after only joining from Barcelona on Friday, Spurs fans will hopefully see three other new signings in action.
Fraser Forster will be looking to get some minutes between the sticks, while Yves Bissouma and Richarlison will have the opportunity to play alongside their new teammates for the first time. Already boasting a talented squad, all will be keen to see what the new signings can bring to the team next season as they bid to go up another level.
Richarlison clue
The game against Team K League may also offer a clue over Richarlison's exact place in Conte's plans. Mostly operating from the left during his time at Everton, the Brazilian gives Spurs options as he can also play through the middle or on the right.
His versatility will prove vital over the course of the campaign but the boss may already have a specific position in mind for the 25-year-old. So could he be starting from the left or up front? We may find that out later on.
Injured players return
Conte had to deal with limited first-team numbers in the final few weeks of last season and had to name a handful of the club's youngsters in his matchday squad as a result. Injuries to Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp didn't help his cause, with the trio all missing quite a lot of action in 2022.
All three players are now back to fitness and they will be keen to make up for lost time as they bid to earn a place in Conte's XI. Minutes on the pitch will only benefit them and Spurs going forward.
Youngsters get their turn
Tottenham have plenty of talented players in their academy and chances do tend to come along for a handful of them in pre-season. Mauricio Pochettino always used to take a selection of the club's youngsters on tour, with Tanganga and Troy Parrott impressing in 2019 before later going on to make their senior debuts.
Goalkeeper Josh Keeley is part of the 28-man squad following his summer move to the club, with Malachi Fagan-Walcott also there and fellow defender Charlie Sayers drafted in as a late replacement for Joe Rodon. Conte did indicate in his pre-match press conference that he will look to give his players at least 45 minutes, so we may well be about to see a few youngsters get the opportunity they have craved so badly.
Parrott's chance to shine
Three years on from impressing on the club's tour of the Far East, Parrott will be looking to seize his chance once again after a fine year on loan at MK Dons. The Irishman's game has come on in leaps and bounds since his last summer tour with Tottenham and all fans desperately want to see him make the grade at the club due to his outstanding form in front of goal when coming through the ranks.
A loan move to the Championship should be the next step in his development but before then Parrott will be out to wow his head coach and put himself firmly in the Italian's plans for the future. The Republic of Ireland international will be full of confidence going into the new campaign and that could be on show on Wednesday against Team K League.
Key summer for young duo
Two players who cannot waste their opportunity this summer are Pape Matar Sarr and Bryan Gil. Both signing last summer, the former returned to Metz on a season-long loan deal while the latter headed back to Spain after struggling to adapt to the Premier League in his first six months in England.
Question marks still surround what will happen with the duo ahead of next season as they need to prove to Conte and his coaching staff that they can cope with the intense demands of the Premier League football. Good pre-seasons are a must for both or they could quite easily find themselves playing elsewhere come the start of September.
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