Tottenham's Lewis decision and what Kane did at HT and as Spurs lifted a trophy

Here are our Tottenham talking points as the club's tour of Australia and Asia came to a close with the 5-1 win against Lion City Sailors in Singapore

Postecoglou making a point

This time a year ago we were watching Tottenham's players collapsing all over the side of the pitch with Harry Kane being sick by an advertising hoarding as they were pushed to the limit in the Korean humidity at the orders of Antonio Conte.

There were some within the club who felt that while training was tough that summer, that open training session in particular in front of the fans was Conte looking for his fitness coaches, including the late, great Gian Piero Ventrone, to really show the world how tough you had to be to play for him. The Korean fans let out a collective gasp when their national hero Son Heung-min collapsed to the ground rubber-legged at one point and that was music to the Italian's ears.

Fast forward 12 months and Spurs' starting players were put through a similar set of pitch long runs as part of the Ange Postecoglou reign after the first 45 minutes.

It was not as brutal as that night in Korea but having 45 minutes of Postecoglou-style match action in their legs and then having to run the length of the pitch after three days of tough double sessions did leave some of them dropping to the floor at the end and Yves Bissouma left holding his foot on the floor and needing treatment.

Kane was one of a couple of the outfield starting players who were excused the pitch long runs in the heat, which may well have been to manage the body of the striker who turns 30 on Friday.

Tottenham's play had been slightly slower than the frenetic waves of attacks against West Ham, but they still managed 24 shots in the first half alone and 37 in all with 11 on target. It was also another 600-plus passing game with 634 attempted with an 89% success rate and 79% possession.

That was to be expected against the suddenly drafted in at late notice opponents, Singapore Premier League side Lion City Sailors, who gave a good account of themselves in the first half before they began to tire in the second. Make no mistake though, this was a massive mismatch of a game.

If Tottenham's play was slightly slower on this occasion it was because Postecoglou had made up for the rained-off match against Leicester in Singapore by pushing his players hard with double sessions every day in the heat to try to replicate the lost match minutes in their legs.

That Lion City are also midway through their league season so were match sharp and quick to the ball until the second half wore on against a new set of Spurs players also forced Postecoglou's men to compete harder than they might have expected in front of the noisy crowd.

"[The performance] was okay, we knew that we've had a few punishing days for the boys (laughs)," Postecoglou said afterwards. "We purposefully made them work hard in training because we missed the last game. So I knew we wouldn't be super sharp today and it looked that way, particularly in front of goal.

"In general I thought we played some decent football and their attitude was great until the end.

"[Because we'd worked so hard before] we just didn't have the legs we needed to get into the right areas."

In fact Postecoglou made a real point throughout his press conference of mentioning how hard he had worked his players during the last few days, even when he wasn't asked about it.

"We used this final leg just to catch up on what we missed in Thailand by not playing the game. Training sessions have been solid to say the least," he told football.london "The boys have worked really hard and the conditions here make that difficult so I knew we weren’t going to be that sharp but attitude and endeavour was there.

"We’re trying to implement the stuff we’ve been working on and that’s the main thing. Maybe we didn’t have the legs but the effort and desire to put in place what we’ve been working on was there."

When asked if Bissouma was okay, he added: "Yeah, I think so. He did all the runs at the end. I think he was exhausted, mate. I haven’t picked up anything from the medics. It’s fair to say they'll be exhausted after what we’ve done in the last three days but I don’t think there’s any issues."

It was like Postecoglou was saying 'it's not just that Italian guy who works his players hard'. He's not wrong either because to play the Australian's relentless style of football you need to be fit enough for all of the pressing, constant movement and desire to prevent the ball from spending time out of play.

Postecoglou football's aim is to overwhelm the opposition with waves of attacks and leave them exhausted. The 57-year-old head coach also uses his substitutions methodically to add fresh legs into key area in matches to ensure that relentlessness never stops.

On Wednesday night in Singapore, Spurs looked leggy in the first half. The football, while able to cut their lesser opponents apart constantly, was not as quick and crisp as it had been in Perth eight days before.

If anything the second half side, against the tiring Sailors, were able to showcase it better, despite having fewer shots on goal eventually.

One key element of Postecoglou attacking is the low cross. In training sessions there's a real focus on the wingers and full-backs getting to the by-line and then cutting the ball across the six-yard box to fire home. Kane struck a shot wide from one such early move from Destiny Udogie's cross.

It's a repeated drill in training and there's less focus on high balls into the box. In matches they naturally occur and will come in through set-pieces but the emphasis this season will be on low balls to feet in the box.

There will be disappointment over the defending in one moment once again. As with West Ham, Lion City only had four shots on goal but managed to score one compared to the Hammers' three.

Again Pedro Porro showed an issue with players getting in behind him. Postecoglou said in the week that he has every intention of using Porro and Destiny Udogie together in the future, as he did in Singapore, because he believes they exemplify how he wants his defenders to play out from the back.

However, he will need to work on their defending, most notably Porro's with Udogie having had more recent experience in a back four at international level with Italy's U21s.

The likelihood is that it will be one of them with either Emerson Royal - now known as Eme around the club - or Ben Davies on the other flank. Emerson contributed an assist to allow Richarlison to complete his hat-trick in the 90th minute.

Davies made a mess with the first goal of the game, gifting the ball to the opposition and being caught out of position because of that.

He has been played as a centre-back during this tour, which is perhaps more of a reflection on the future of Davinson Sanchez and Joe Rodon and fitness of Eric Dier. Postecoglou told football.london that while Davies had been doing "a very good job at centre-back", he added that "my inclination is that he will be a very, very good left-back for us".

At the end of it all Tottenham lifted a trophy - The Tiger Cup. It will take its place along the likes of the Audi Cup and the Peace Cup as friendly trophies and it was amusing to see how the different players reacted to the ceremony in lifting it.

Harry Kane, captain for the first half, remained in the background to allow Richarlison, who had just collected his man of the match award, to come forward and lift it with real enthusiasm.

The Brazilian's enjoyment of the moment and that he was getting to lift a trophy was infectious as others began to smile and clap around. Of course it's not any kind of major trophy, more a souvenir of a tour that might not have gone smoothly in terms of the fixtures but had at least been a good experience within the squad as they got to bond again and enjoy themselves with returning and new faces and a style of football they are enjoying.

Lo Celso and the returning gang

One element of this Tottenham tour many eyes were on was exactly which members of the returning group of players would catch the eye of Postecoglou.

Some had been away for pretty much 18 months from the club and their team-mates while others had spent shorter spells away from the nest.

It's a cliché but if any of them could impress the new head coach then they would in essence be like a new signing for him and the club, with the transfer fee already paid long ago. Different players work for different managers and there was a hope that some of those who were bought for Mauricio Pochettino's more attacking side but didn't fit the defensive-minded coaches who followed might suddenly find a fit in Postecoglou.

The early belief was that the main beneficiary might be Tanguy Ndombele. However, an ankle injury suffered in the final training match in Perth ahead of the game against West Ham scuppered his chance to impress - he was set to start - and despite recovering he's never got a look in since.

Postecoglou's training matches on tour always let you know who was going to start and also the second half team because they would be playing against each other in an 11-a-side game. Ndombele has not appeared in one since his injury, instead taking part in mini-games with the rest of the players - the misfits, somewhat like the toys forgotten and left under Sid's bed in Toy Story.

Some of them are young players whose time will come, others like Joe Rodon, Djed Spence and latterly Davinson Sanchez, after he played the second half against West Ham because Eric Dier wasn't fit enough, look destined for the exit door unless injury hands them a chance.

Postecoglou praised Ndombele to football.london before heading out on the tour but the Frenchman - impressively committed to wearing his trademark snood on his head in the heat, humidity and downpours - would have surely got his chance since his recovery if he were to stand a chance.

One man who has taken his opportunity instead with aplomb is Giovani Lo Celso. Many had always felt the Argentine would excel in a midfield three - it is what he plays in successfully for Argentina.

The 27-year-old also has the perfect combination for Postecoglou in that he's a worker bee with aggression yet with the quality in his passing and ability to drift into attacking areas. Many thought he would be just right for Antonio Conte but the two men never seemed to click.

So Lo Celso has been in the Tottenham wilderness for nearly 18 months, on loan at Villarreal for one and a half seasons.

Despite fitting the Postecoglou system, the expectation was that he would return this summer and as one of the few players with a bit of interest in him from Spain and in the Premier League, would be sold to raise some funds towards other areas.

Instead Postecoglou took a liking to the Argentine from the early days of training. The Lo Celso who has returned to Tottenham is seen as a different person to the one who left in January 2022.

Back then he was quiet, more withdrawn and would mostly stick within his group of fellow Argentines. The years have naturally matured him as has fatherhood, with his partner giving birth to a little girl in November last year.

Those within Spurs have remarked how the Lo Celso on tour in Australia and Asia is a far happier individual, more outgoing and also, perhaps most importantly, eager to please.

Postecoglou said he wanted clarity over which players he could use among his huge 37-man squad and the fog seems to have lifted around Lo Celso.

The Argentina international has been one of the brightest spots of this tour, his energy and creativity lighting up both second halves he has played and he has shown his finishing ability within Postecoglou's attacking set-up.

He fired home a well-executed volley against West Ham and on Wednesday night he made it two in two games.

Manor Solomon - another bright spot of this tour - showed his dribbling ability with an already trademark slaloming run into the Sailors' area and his low cross was deflected across the six-yard box.

Lo Celso shouted to Richarlison to leave it and he ran on and buried it left-footed past the goalkeeper, before turning and pointing to the Brazilian as thanks and then going over to Solomon for his part in it all.

Reports in Spain suggested Postecoglou has already told Lo Celso that he wants him to stay next season and be part of his plans so football.london asked the Spurs boss if there was any truth in it.

"I’m here mate you don’t have to go all the way to Spain, just ask the question!" he wise-cracked with a smile before saying. "Yeah, I’m really happy with Gio. He’s been really good in training.

"You can see he’s a quality player and I think the way we play suits him. I’ve enjoyed working with him and I think he’s enjoying himself in terms of the football we want to play and yeah it’s going well."

Another player who seems to be thriving under Postecoglou so far who was expected, and could still, depart is Ivan Perisic. The Croatian has looked fit and sharp and has been involved in some capacity in most of Tottenham's goals he's been on the pitch for.

The 34-year-old coud yet leave this summer but back in his original role as a winger he's fitted the Postecoglou system well.

The Australian has unlocked a couple of unexpected doors at Spurs and during a busy summer that might just be crucial.

The Richarlison and Kane Show

This tour has been dominated by talk of Harry Kane and even brought with it a shirt-wielding German to throw another bizarre twist to the trip.

Amid talk of the Tottenham striker's potential exit to the Bundesliga so eyes have turned to who takes on his mantle. Most eyes have looked outside of the club with expensive signings while mostly overlooking the £60m attacker and Brazil's number nine who Spurs bought last summer.

That's mainly because of the wretched season Richarlison had last time around. "Too many injuries" in his own words, while Conte used an even stronger term for the Brazilian's campaign. One Premier League goal was not enough for such an expensive and Premier League proven attacker.

The Brazilian is a complex, emotional character. At times shy yet others extravagant, in moments child-like yet others incredibly savvy and politically aware. On the pitch, he can be an antagonising blunt instrument yet in an instant unleash the kind of breath-taking technique and skill associated with his countrymen.

Richarlison is popular within the Spurs squad yet after six years in England has only started to improve his English in the past 12 months, finally enough to do short interviews for the club and often pushed and accompanied by his close friend Emerson, whose own grasp of English has come on leaps and bounds.

Richarlison is yet to speak to the English media at Tottenham but if next season is his breakthrough one at the club then he will need to at some point.

"I'm over the moon. I'm so happy. Thank you fans, thank you Singapore for this pre-season. The pre-season has been good for me and for the group," he said on the pitch for the club's social media channels.

"I'm good, I feel good, last season I had too many injuries and now I feel good. My body is good. I think it will be a good season for me."

After that difficult first season everyone within Tottenham wants Richarlison to succeed. He gives his all for the club and when Postecoglou joined so the Brazilian was seen by many in the game as the most natural fit for his system.

The Australian's usual central striker is often a sacrificial lamb of sorts, constantly pressing, harassing and making a nuisance of themselves while also able to find the pockets of space to score a bucketload of goals from the chances Postecoglou's attacking system creates.

Kane is a more all-rounded player, often dropping deep and, turning 30 this week, less suited to the constant running required in the role. It has been noticeable that the England captain has spent far more time in advanced roles under Postecoglou so far, with James Maddison behind negating his need to drop deep as much.

Postecoglou sees two very different strikers in Kane and Richarlison but with one similar focus.

"They're different strikers. They have different strengths. Both though I think have a real presence in the penalty box and that's why Harry has scored so many goals and why he's one of the best strikers in the world," he said.

"Richy is also a presence in the box in a different way so I think they've both got the right kind of qualities to play in that area and I think with Richy he can also play wide and as a second striker, mainly because he's got, and I think people dismiss it a bit, a really strong work ethic.

"He works hard for the team and a lot of what he does doesn't get seen. His pressing, his runs sometimes he doesn't get the ball but he's always making those runs and he's a constant nuisance for defenders. So he can play a couple of positions for sure."

There's clearly an affection for Richarlison inside Postecoglou and a knowledge that he is a player who needs to feel loved. The Brazilian spoke recently to media in his homeland about being torn apart for "two hours" in front of the squad by Conte and the effect it had on him.

After this hat-trick, albeit against a tired Lion City defence that was all over the place, Richarlison showed his quality and Postecoglou hopes his confidence is now back up where it needs to be.

"I hope so. I've said before that I really like Richy. He's someone who has got all of the attributes I look for in a striker in that he's got the strong work ethic, he's always in the right areas and he's presenting himself and making a presence of himself in the right areas for the way we play," he said.

"He was probably a bit unlucky not to get a couple against West Ham that night. Again he was in the right areas today. I've got a lot of time for him and he's one of the ones I'm looking forward to working with.

"From the outside you see a player and you try to picture how they fit into the kind of football you want to play and I certainly think he can."

The future is yet to be written for Kane, who also scored from the spot after Pape Matar Sarr was felled in the box,

If Bayern do make a bid that finally matches their barking from Germany to give Daniel Levy and Kane something to speak about then perhaps those moments after the game could one day end up being somewhat fitting.

The England captain looked on from the background, smiling and clapping as instead it was Richarlison centre stage and lifting the trophy for Tottenham.

Spurs fans will hope there is room for both men next season as they bring very different threats. Kane is world class and Richarlison is the main striker for one of the best football nations in the world.

Postecoglou will want to keep them both but the coming weeks will decide what comes to pass.

Joe Lewis and what happens next for Postecoglou

At least Ange Postecoglou got a break from Harry Kane questions for the final press conference of the tour to Australia and Asia.

That's because as this is Tottenham Hotspur, something bigger and often even more dramatic is always around the corner and it came in the shape of the news surrounding 86-year-old billionaire Joe Lewis.

The former owner of Spurs, the octogenarian has often been a name spoken of but rarely seen, a figure of frustration at the club not matching the vast sums spent on transfers elsewhere, a man seen as having spent more on his vast collection of art than he ever did on Tottenham.

Yet Lewis has now been thrust out of the shadows and into the light. His appearance in New York on Wednesday brought more photos of the publicity-shy billionaire in one moment than have ever appeared in his lifetime.

For the United States Attorney's Office and the FBI have essentially declared war on Lewis, who is estimated by Forbes to be worth $6.1billion (£4.7billion) and they list him as the 425th richest man in the world.

He has been charged with 13 counts of securities fraud which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three other counts of securities fraud which carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and then three counts of conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

US attorney Damian Williams declared: "Today I am announcing that my office, the southern district of New York, has indicted Joe Lewis, the British billionaire for orchestrating a a brazen insider trading scheme.

"We allege that for years Joe Lewis abused his access to corporate boardrooms and repeatedly provided inside information to his romantic partners, his personal assistants, his private pilots and his friends.

“Those folks then traded on that inside information and made millions of dollars in the stock market, because thanks to Lewis those bets were a sure thing."

He added: "Now, none of this was necessary. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man. But as we allege he used inside information as a way to compensate his employees or to shower gifts on his friends and lovers.

"That’s classic corporate corruption. It’s cheating, and it’s against the law. Laws that apply to everyone, no matter who you are. That’s why Joe Lewis has been indicted and will face justice here in the Southern District of New York."

On Wednesday, Lewis pleaded not guilty to insider trading charges in a Manhattan court. He was granted $300million (£230million) bail. Tottenham fans would no doubt have been left dreaming of what that figure might have done for their team in years gone by.

In the mean time Spurs have done everything possible to distance themselves from Lewis.

In October last year documents filed by the club with Companies House showed that Lewis was to no longer be shown as a 'person with significant control'. Instead two officers of the Lewis Family Trust were appointed in his place, Miami-born lawyer Bryan Antoine Glinton and British-born solicitor Katie Louise Booth.

Back then it was made clear that the move, simply a family trust restructure, did not change anything for Spurs on a day to day level as they had and continued to be owned by Lewis and the family trust and run by Levy.

However, 10 months on and the club are stating that ended up being anything but the case. The owner of Tottenham remains ENIC, but with majority control held by a family discretionary trust of which Lewis is not a beneficiary, although members of his family are.

Spurs have made it very clear that Lewis is to be called their "former owner" and a club spokesperson said on Wednesday: "This is a legal matter unconnected with the club and as such we have no comment."

As a result of Lewis giving up control on October 5 last year, he is no longer considered an owner or director under the Premier League test so what is currently happening in the USA has no impact in any way on the running or ownership structure of the club.

Whether it leads to a hastened sale of the club remains to be seen, but Spurs have never shied away from difficult situations.

Their Super League involvement remains fresh in the mind for some and this week they accepted a £12.9million bid from Russian club Spartak Moscow for defender Davinson Sanchez.

The Colombian's reluctance to make the move could solve the awkward situation of Spurs agreeing to accept Russian money in the week they have organised for a great cause to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in a friendly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to raise money for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

The Premier League cannot stop clubs from dealing with any Russian sides, but it is believed they would strongly discourage them from making deals with clubs from the country amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Any club which does business with a Russian side must be satisfied that the club and its source of funding were not subject to any sanctions. Accepting money from any sanctioned individual is illegal.

Tottenham and awkward situations are rarely too far apart but at least in Postecoglou they have a steady hand on the tiller when it comes to on-pitch matters.

When the Lewis situation was put to the Australian after the game in Singapore he responded sharply: "The club’s put a statement out on that and if you think that’s what I’m involved in you don’t know what my role is here. The club’s put a statement out.

The press officer had intervened and said "the club’s put a statement out, it’s a legal matter we’re not going to comment on" but Postecoglou is not one for having others fight his battles for him.

When asked whether his plans remain unchanged amid the Lewis news, he hit back: "Why wouldn’t they be? The club’s already said it’s not a club matter. We’re not putting out a statement that’s not true so if it’s not a club matter it doesn’t affect me in terms of what I’m trying to do so no-one’s said anything like that to me."

Postecoglou accepts no bull and he simply refuses to be a part of anything of the sort.

Spurs desperately needed a clear voice at a club where so few people are willing to speak publicly and in the straight-talking Postecoglou they have that man. Now they must ensure he can succeed.

The signings so far look to be a good fit for him. Guglielmo Vicario is a strong dominant goalkeeper who can grow into Hugo Lloris' gloves, Manor Solomon will cause havoc for defences and James Maddison can be the Jack Grealish Pochettino wanted but never got.

Now for Postecoglou, he wants centre-backs and he needs them now. The goal conceded against such lowly opposition in Singapore only showed once again that the defence he has in the season needs to be ready to provide the foundation that gives confidence for the rest of the team to dominate and attack.

The Kane situation needs a resolution one way or another and Levy cannot allow the situation to affect Postecoglou, the striker or the squad.

If Tottenham do want to sell then they must name a price and a deadline with both to be met if it is to happen. If they do not want to sell one of the world's best strikers then that has to be decided and stuck to.

Kane is not expected to kick up a fuss and will make his decisions based on what Spurs and Bayern choose. He could go, he could leave on a free next summer or he could sign a new contract later this year if he falls in love with the Postecoglou way and it takes Tottenham forward.

Whatever happens, Tottenham need to cut through the constant noise and drama and get behind a head coach who has the ability to bring them and the fans back together again.

If that means spending the money to bring in a Van de Ven or a Tapsoba, as well as an Adarabioyo or another data-driven signing, then it needs to happen but Postecoglou needs quality added to his backline and more than one.

This season has the potential to make Spurs fans smile but to do so Postecoglou must be a happy man first rather than wear the usual weary, beaten down look Tottenham Hotspur managers eventually sport.

The Australian told football.london that he wished buying centre-backs was like his wife ordering things off Amazon with the daily ringing of the Postecoglou doorbell. Now it is Daniel Levy who has to deliver.