​Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi (R) and player Conor Gallagher attend a press conference after a training session at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on July 31, 2026, ahead of a pre-season friendly against Chelsea. (Photo by SAEED KHAN / AFP via Getty Images) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — | AFP via Getty Images Tottenham Hotspur continued preseason with an oddity of a fixture, a 70-minute hit-out against Getafe.Roberto De Zerbi named a reasonably strong side, with two changes made from the lineup against Chelsea as Richarlison and Mikey Moore came in for Dominic Solanke and Manor Solomon, respectively. An uneventful first half was followed by an all-action second, with the visitors opening the scoring against the run of play via Alberto Risco, before Conor Gallagher equalized late in the match.Spurs hunted for a winner but it was not to be as the fixture finished 1-1.Here’s my top ten talking points from Spurs’ “friendly” against Getafe.1. Feeling the heatWith temperatures soaring in London, Getafe and Spurs opted for a 70-minute match, with two 35-minute halves. It was a bit of an interesting twist, with a similar match played by other senior players later in the day against the U21s. This structure put the players’ fitness under a microscope, with no substitutions made by Spurs (and only a handful of changes by Getafe). The named XI going the full 70 minutes was an important milestone in Spurs’ preparations for Brentford later this month as the season proper kicks off.2. Spurs taking shapeWith each passing fixture, Spurs’ starting XI for that first match seems to become clearer. Though there are some unknowns with regards to fitness (the likes of James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, and Micky van de Ven) and availability following the World Cup (Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Pedro Porro), it seems Roberto De Zerbi has a couple of nailed-on players for his preferred lineup.Sandro Tonali has started virtually every match for which he’s been available, and Jan Paul van Hecke has done likewise since his return from international duties. Mathy Tel seems to have the left wing position locked down for now, and Conor Gallagher will likely start in the #10, though that’s in part due to lack of options. The other positions seem to be up for grabs at this moment, with De Zerbi running various different players, though he does seem to have some favorites.3. Bypassing the midfield?Interestingly, early in the match Spurs’ defense seemed reticent to utilize Lucas Bergvall and Tonali in build-up, instead looking to go long with some ambitious passes, or down the wings. Perhaps this was a tactical choice: Getafe were very compact in the middle and seemed not too keen to fall for De Zerbi’s press baiting trap; or maybe it was the players adjusting.Bergvall and Tonali did get more and more involved on the ball as the match went on, so it could have been the latter, but the same h