Mikey Moore Shines in Tottenham's 3-0 Win Over Hoffenheim
Mikey Moore struck twice as Tottenham eased to a 3-0 pre-season win over Hoffenheim, a night that felt less like a friendly and more like a quiet statement of intent.
Richarlison set the tone, Moore stole the headlines, and several new faces made themselves at home in north London.
Moore and Bergvall make their case
For Mikey Moore, this was supposed to be a summer of uncertainty. A loan to Cologne was close last week, the kind of move that usually signals a club has made its mind up about a young player’s immediate future.
Then he scored twice.
His first goal, early in the second half, barely drew a reaction from him. Tel burned down the flank, rolled the ball across, and Moore did the simple part, tapping in. The celebration was muted, almost business-like, as if he knew this was exactly what he needed to be doing.
The second was different. Same combination, different finish. Tel slipped him in again and Moore, 19 years old and carrying the weight of a decision about his next step, finished with real composure. This time the joy showed. Arms out, face lit up, a teenager reminding everyone – including Roberto De Zerbi – that his story at Tottenham might not be ready for an overseas chapter just yet.
His destination for the coming season remains undecided. Performances like this complicate the conversation.
Lucas Bergvall is living a similar tension. Two months ago, his future looked like it might lie away from Tottenham. Newcastle and Nottingham Forest circled, sensing opportunity around a midfielder frustrated by a lack of minutes.
De Zerbi has moved to address those concerns and, crucially, has backed that up with action. Bergvall has featured regularly in pre-season and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he played with the assurance of someone who feels trusted again. Sharp on the ball, busy off it, he offered the kind of midfield presence that keeps a head coach’s mind open when the window edges towards deadline day.
Whether he is still at the club when it closes is not guaranteed. His performance here will not have harmed his chances.
Robertson wastes no time
Andy Robertson did not leave Liverpool to wind down. He left to play.
On this evidence, he will play a lot.
Stationed on the left, the Scotland captain delivered the kind of performance Spurs hoped they were buying: relentless energy, aggressive positioning, and a stream of dangerous crosses. One of them finally met the finish it deserved when Richarlison buried his first-half opener from a pinpoint Robertson delivery.
The 32-year-old arrived hailed as a leader for the dressing room, a serial winner who could lift standards around him. Against Hoffenheim he reminded everyone he is still a high-level full-back, not just a voice in the tunnel.
Destiny Udogie has yet to feature in pre-season and questions linger over his fitness. Robertson has walked straight into that gap and, on current form, looks almost certain to start at Brentford when the Premier League campaign opens next Saturday. For Udogie, nine years younger and previously the clear first choice, dislodging him may not be straightforward.
Kinsky owns the gloves
At the other end, Antonin Kinsky quietly underlined why he is now Tottenham’s No 1.
A clean sheet in pre-season can sometimes feel incidental. This one owed plenty to the 23-year-old. He made a series of important stops, reading Hoffenheim’s efforts well and refusing to be drawn into the kind of chaos that once haunted him.
Crosses? Dealt with. Distribution? Calm, confident, and aligned with what De Zerbi demands from his goalkeeper in possession.
Seven months ago, his horror show in Madrid raised doubts about whether he could handle this level. On Saturday, he looked like a man who has dragged himself through that low point and come out with the shirt for good.
Guglielmo Vicario did not feature, with Juventus circling the Italy international. Kinsky has not been handed this role; he has taken it.
New faces bed in, big names missing
This was Spurs’ first home outing since they escaped relegation in May, and it carried a different feel. Four summer signings – Robertson, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Sensi – all made their home debuts, helping to preserve an unbeaten pre-season.
Not everyone was on show. Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes were among the notable absentees, their omissions impossible for supporters to ignore with the new campaign so close.
Those same fans will now look to Sunday’s behind-closed-doors rematch with Hoffenheim at the training ground for clues. Some of the missing names are expected to feature as De Zerbi fine-tunes his plans.
Because after that, there is no hiding. Next Saturday, live on Sky Sports, Tottenham walk into Brentford to open their Premier League season.
Unbeaten in pre-season, new signings bedding in, young talents like Moore and Bergvall demanding attention, a new No 1 in Kinsky – the pieces are moving.
The question now is simple: does this calm, controlled August promise survive the first real storm of the season?
