Mikey Moore Shines as Tottenham Defeats Hoffenheim 3-0
Mikey Moore fired a sharp reminder of his talent as Tottenham eased past Hoffenheim 3-0 in their first home outing of pre-season, a night that felt as much about futures as it did about fitness.
The 19-year-old struck twice after the break, both times finishing moves crafted by Mathys Tel, after Richarlison had buried a first-half opener from an Andy Robertson cross. Four summer signings – Robertson, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Sensi – all stepped out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time in Spurs colours, keeping Roberto De Zerbi’s side unbeaten in pre-season.
There were gaps in the squad list. Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes were all missing, their absence noted by supporters who will expect at least some of them to feature when these sides meet again on Sunday in a behind-closed-doors game at Hotspur Way. Brentford away in the Premier League looms next Saturday. De Zerbi’s choices are starting to harden.
Moore and Bergvall play through the noise
If this was an audition for Mikey Moore’s short-term future, he delivered it with conviction.
A loan to Cologne was close last week. That move is now on ice and Moore used the pause to force his way back into the conversation. His first goal brought only a muted celebration, a close-range finish from Tel’s low cross that he almost treated like a training-ground drill. The second told a different story. Another clever pass from Tel, a deft, composed finish, and this time the teenager let the joy spill out.
The Spurs academy graduate still does not know where he will be playing his football this season. Performances like this make that decision far more complicated.
Lucas Bergvall sits in a similar kind of limbo. Two months ago, it looked like he might be on his way out, with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest both circling. De Zerbi has made it clear he wants the Swede to stay and has addressed the midfielder’s concerns about game time with something simple: minutes.
Bergvall has featured regularly in pre-season and again here he looked assured, busy and involved. It was the sort of display that backs up his head coach’s stance and raises a blunt question for the hierarchy: if he can influence games like this, why move him on at all?
Robertson brings the old edge to a new left flank
Andy Robertson did not swap Anfield for north London to sit on another bench. On this evidence, he will not be.
Operating down Spurs’ left, the Scotland captain was relentless. Cross after cross, driving high up the pitch, he set the tone early and then nailed the execution with a trademark delivery for Richarlison’s opener – whipped, accurate, begging to be attacked.
His signing was praised for what he would add to the dressing room: leadership, a winning edge, years of title-race know-how. Against Hoffenheim he showed the rest of the package. At 32, he still covers the ground, still hits the ball with venom and precision, still snarls into duels.
With Destiny Udogie yet to feature in pre-season and question marks hanging over the Italian’s fitness, Robertson has seized the opening. Right now, he looks locked in to start at Brentford. On this form, Udogie is not just chasing fitness; he is chasing a man nine years older who has no intention of giving that shirt back.
Kinsky’s redemption arc gathers pace
At the other end, Antonin Kinsky quietly underlined why he now wears the No 1 tag.
Tottenham’s clean sheet owed plenty to the 23-year-old. He stood up to Hoffenheim’s best chances, made solid, unfussy saves and never looked rattled. When crosses came in, he claimed or punched with authority. With the ball at his feet, he looked comfortable, an essential trait in a De Zerbi side that insists on building from the back.
Seven months ago, his nightmare in Madrid left his future under scrutiny. Since then, he has climbed back, step by step, and this performance felt like another rung on that ladder. Guglielmo Vicario, left out here with Juventus circling, has lost his starting spot on merit, not on reputation.
Kinsky has earned this role. Now the real test begins: can he carry this form into Brentford away, and beyond, when the points start to matter?
