OpinionTottenham put on a surprisingly good show in Hong Kong friendly – just a pity more people didn’t see it
Premier League runners-up entertained the 27,000-odd who turned up to watch, but might game have been promoted more effectively?
Having witnessed a number of exhibition matches in China over the years when footballing giants roll into town, it was with some trepidation that I awaited the arrival of Tottenham Hotspur on Hong Kong's shores on Friday night.
With the Spurs kit man in a race against time to dry out the jerseys after their excursions during a Premier League final-day hammering of Hull City last Sunday, there had been rumours of disquiet in the squad about the prospect of a 12,000-mile round trip to Hong Kong to make face-time with corporate sponsors and play a meaningless friendly match against a club side from a country ranked 150 in the world.
Tottenham’s players, having delivered the club its finest ever Premier League finish, might have been forgiven for playing in their flip-flops after a draining near miss this season.
That was a flavour of the pessimism surrounding the run-up to the game. I’ve been hardened by years of covering post- or pre-season exhibition matches in China, too often experiencing the disappointment of fans who pay a premium to see big-name foreign clubs, only to be left disappointed by the selection of fringe and youth players that they witness.
As much as I was looking forward to the prospect of a display of incredible attacking prowess by the swashbuckling side Mauricio Pochettino has assembled, I was holding out little hope of actually seeing it at its devastating best.