Pre-season analysis: Bergvall impresses, Lindstrom scores on debut

Premier League clubs' preparations for the 2024/25 season continued, with Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur all in action. Here, Adrian Kajumba looks at the key talking points.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Spurs

What happened?
In the final game of their tour of Asia, Spurs were edged out by Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich. They conceded early in each half, after Gabriel Vidovic and then Leon Goretzka converted follow-up efforts from shots parried by Guglielmo Vicario. In an improved second-half display, Pedro Porro pulled a goal back for Spurs with a fine strike from distance.

What did we learn? 
How important the next two weeks are for Spurs to get players back and new faces in. After being overrun at times during the first half in difficult conditions, Spurs improved after the break aided by both sides’ changes and with Lucas Bergvall catching the eye.

But, with the season’s start just around the corner, Ange Postecoglou was still only able to name a partially-experimental Spurs side, with a number of players out of position. At various stages, centre-back, left-back and the striker slots were filled by players deployed in unfamiliar roles.

The returns of Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will help. Their need for a clinical striker and more ruthlessness in the final third was underlined with a lack of cutting edge evident, especially when big second-half chances were spurned.

What did the manager say? 
Ange Postecoglou: “The really important thing for us was that we got 10 days of really solid training. I think the guys will feel the benefits of it when we get back. To train that much in this weather, I know from my time here [in Asia] that it’s physically and mentally draining. When we get back we’ll have a two-week period to freshen them up.”

Who do they play next? 
In an unusual quirk, Spurs will meet Bayern Munich again in their final pre-season friendly, this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 10 August. That could see Harry Kane make an emotional return to his boyhood club, if the England captain is deemed ready to resume playing after the Euros, and Eric Dier could also feature against his old club following his second-half cameo in Seoul.

Yokohama F Marinos 2-0 Newcastle 

What happened? 
Goals either side of half-time from Elber and Jun Amano condemned Newcastle to their first defeat of pre-season in their third runout. Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes were threats in behind for Newcastle during the first half, but the J-League side took full advantage of two moments of defensive indecision to score.

What did we learn?
Signing a new centre-back is among the business Eddie Howe is keen to do before the transfer window closes and there was evidence of why he is keen to increase his options. Newcastle’s defence was in the spotlight following both goals from the Japanese side and numerous other chances they created. Lloyd Kelly, who was making his Newcastle debut, has arrived to give Howe an extra body, but Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are out with long-term injuries while although Fabian Schar has been an excellent servant, he turns 33 this year, making the pursuit of fresh defensive blood understandable.

What did the manager say? 
Howe: “We’ll be pleased to get back on home soil and the double-header at the weekend will be really good for us. It [pre-season] has gone by in a flash. You think you have time but you never think you have enough time for the season ahead. This season has been different to others because we’ve had players coming back at different stages. We’re still not at the full complement of players, so looking forward to getting the full strength of the players back and get ready for Southampton.” 

Who do they play next? 
The first of two games in 24 hours against UEFA Champions League opposition takes place on 9 August when Newcastle host Girona at St James’ Park.

Millwall 0-1 Southampton 

What happened? 
Southampton continued their busy pre-season schedule with a narrow win at Championship side Millwall. Adam Armstrong capitalised on a 64th-minute handling error from Millwall goalkeeper Lukas Jensen to turn the ball home from close range and earn Southampton the victory. 

Armstrong's goal v Millwall

What did we learn?
Saints fans got their first glimpse of new signing Ben Brereton Díaz and yet another reminder of Armstrong’s value in front of goal when he found himself in the right place at the right time to score the winner. But in a largely pedestrian game, youngster Tyler Dibling livened up proceedings with some promising moments, hitting the crossbar and going on a solo run from deep inside his own half that ended in him being fouled, but also earning a pat on the back from manager Russell Martin. Pre-season is often a chance for youngsters to make their cases for greater involvement and Dibling, 18, who has been heavily involved in Southampton’s build-up to the new campaign, did that again at The Den.

What did the manager say? 
Martin: “I was really pleased. We should have scored a few more goals, we limited them to very little and saw some really good stuff that was much better in terms of character and personality and aggression. I really enjoyed the aggression of the team today, so it was much better than Wednesday [when Southampton lost 2-0 at Oxford].”

Who do they play next?
Match six of seven warm-up games for Southampton is on 7 August when they face Lazio at St Mary’s.

Watford 1-1 Brentford 

What happened? 
Two goals in the first eight minutes were shared between the two teams. Kevin Schade headed Brentford into a sixth-minute lead, bringing a scoring end to a neat move down the right. But their lead lasted just two minutes as Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken was punished for taking too long to clear his lines and Moussa Sissoko’s shot was eventually deflected past him. 

What did we learn?
New signing Igor Thiago’s injury is hugely unfortunate for Brentford, particularly with Ivan Toney’s future at the club unclear. But against Watford you could see why Brentford do not feel that losing the Brazilian until the end of 2024 requires a change to their transfer plans. In goalscorer Schade, Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford retained plenty of attacking threat throughout the contest. Brentford had a difficult campaign last season, which was as much down to being without two of that trio due to long-term injuries - Schade and Mbeumo - as it was Toney's suspension. 

What did the manager say? 
Thomas Frank: “We looked much more sharp. I really like Kevin [Schade]. He is such a threat and we really utilised that throughout the game and scored a great header. Bryan was much tidier and sharper today and also his reaction in the counter-press and also Wissa found better positions on the pitch in terms of running in behind.”

Who do they play next?
German side Wolfsburg come to the Gtech Community Stadium on 9 August.

Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Brighton 

What happened? 
Brighton got the better of their Championship hosts Queens Park Rangers thanks to Danny Welbeck’s 53rd-minute penalty.

What did we learn?
The Seagulls have quickly taken on new head coach Fabian Hurzeler’s high-pressing demands. There were a number of occasions where they panicked QPR into mistakes with their quick closing down, not least for the goal. Yankuba Minteh’s shuttle runs in pursuit of the ball paid off when he caught up with and dispossessed QPR defender Jake Clarke-Salter before going on to be fouled by Jack Colback to win the penalty that Welbeck converted. That would no doubt have been an especially satisfying passage of play for Hurzeler. 

What did the manager say? 
Hurzeler: “We worked very well against the ball. There was not a clear chance for our opponent and that was our goal for this game. That we worked together, that we worked out of a compactness, that we have clear press signals. We are not where we want to be, but it was a good step forward and we keep going.” 

Who do they play next?
Brighton have one more friendly to play before the big kick-off, when they host Spanish side Villarreal on 10 August.

Preston 0-3 Everton 

What happened? 
Everton secured their first win of pre-season at the fourth attempt, with a comfortable win at Championship side Preston North End. Dominic Calvert-Lewin won and then scored a penalty to send Everton in 1-0 up at half-time. New centre-back signing from Lyon, Jake O’Brien, then marked his first Everton appearance by half-volleying in their second goal just after the hour-mark. Fellow summer arrival Jesper Lindstrom then sealed the win with a curling free-kick 20 minutes from time on his Toffees debut.

What did we learn?
After what had gone before in pre-season for Everton, especially the midweek 3-0 defeat at Coventry City, this would have been a very satisfying afternoon for Sean Dyche. One that would have given him optimism and a better gauge of how his side might fare when their best players are available. For the first time, Dyche was able to employ all five of the major new signings he has brought in to raise the level of his squad. He also welcomed back James Tarkowski, Vitalii Mykolenko and Idrissa Gueye, leaving Everton much closer to full strength. A hugely encouraging result duly followed.

What did the manager say? 
Dyche: “A much better show, a much better feel about the performance. I’m really pleased for the new lads, getting two different types of goals. Dom [Calvert-Lewin] was looking sharp. A lot of good habits on show today.” 

Who do they play next?
Everton round off their official pre-season preparations with a home match against Roma on 10 August, although they will play a behind-closed-doors match during the week before that.

Hoffenheim 0-1 Ipswich 

What happened? 
Midfielder Jack Taylor’s first-half goal from Omari Hutchison’s delivery ensured Ipswich got back to winning ways in pre-season after suffering a narrow defeat to Fortuna Dusseldorf in their previous friendly.

What did we learn?
This was a valuable outing for Kieran McKenna’s side in Austria. They will have gained confidence from overcoming the side who finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season, relatively comfortably too, while plenty of players got valuable minutes in their legs, with 22 used by McKenna including most recent signing Conor Townsend, who made his debut in the second half.

What did the manager say? 
McKenna: “It’s two weeks to go now, so when the players come in next week, they’ll be really excited knowing that we’ve got a really good friendly at Portman Road, the last one before the league starts. We can really look down to the run-in to Liverpool. It’s an exciting challenge to come.” 

Who do they play next?
There is one more friendly left for Ipswich before they make their eagerly-awaited Premier League return after 22 years away. They host French side Nice at Portman Road on 10 August, exactly a week before they welcome Liverpool for their top-flight opener.

Augsburg 1-0 Leicester 

What happened? 
A 10th-minute header from Keven Schlotterbeck proved the difference between the two sides as Augsburg overcame the Premier League new boys in Leicester’s penultimate warm-up game. 

What did we learn?
With the injured Jamie Vardy missing, free transfer signing from Fulham, attacker Bobby De Cordova-Reid, was handed his first Leicester start, Abdul Fatawu had a number of attempts to try and get the Foxes back into the game, while Stephy Mavididi and Patson Daka also featured. But there was a lack of creativity from Leicester in Germany, underlining why it is one of the issues Steve Cooper is hoping to solve after his side drew a second successive pre-season blank. 

What did the manager say? 
Cooper: “We want to add players to the squad, particularly at the top end of the pitch. That’s what we’re trying to do. We were so close to getting a few in this week that haven’t quite worked out. So we’ll move onto the next ones.”

Who do they play next?
Leicester travel to France to face Lens on 10 August.