Scout Notes – Pre-Season Round-Up

Gerard Deulofeu notches once again as Everton are defeated in Dresden. Bournemouth new boy Lewis Cook opens his account, whilst Tottenham slip to defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

Dynamo Dresden 2 Everton 1

Gerard Deulofeu’s third goal in as many pre-season matches was the only real highlight of a Dresden encounter in which events off the field were arguably of greater interest.

The young Spaniard scored from a free-kick he earned himself and again looked lively in a side otherwise lacking a cutting edge that struggled to play the high-tempo, quick-passing game that new coach Ronald Koeman demands.

Centre-half John Stones played the majority of the match amid news that his proposed move to Manchester City had stalled over the asking price for the England international, while striker Romelu Lukaku was an unused sub as rumour surfaced of a bid from his former club Chelsea.

One player looking likely to bolster Koeman’s squad is Aston Villa midfielder Idrissa Gueye. The Villa boss Roberto di Matteo conceded:

“It’s public Everton have triggered his clause and he’s going to leave. There’s no news so far but the expectation is, once personal terms are agreed and a medical [is done], he’s going to go. There are other clubs interested, that’s right, but the only official bid so far has been from Everton.”

Maarten Stekelenburg again started in goal ahead of Joel Robles, while Deulofeu continues to shine in a “false nine” role he has been asked to fill out of necessity.

With Lukaku’s future still uncertain and Arouna Kone recovering from a knee injury, Koeman took time to praise the in-form youngster, who, despite a kind 6.5 price tag, is still owned by just 3% of managers in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game:

“We have some good players who can score from a free-kick. It was Kevin Mirallas against Barnsley and today we saw the quality of Gerard. You can win matches with set plays so it is good to see. Gerard had some good opportunities, he worked hard and had good movement. Maybe he had to score one of the two big chances he had in the second half. But he is dangerous out of that position and that is good to see because we need that pace.”

Everton XI: Stekelenburg, Coleman, Stones (Holgate 69), Funes Mori, Baines, Davies (Besic 46), Gibson, Lennon, Barkley (Dowell 69), Mirallas, Deulofeu.

Tottenham 0 Atletico Madrid 1

Christian Eriksen’s return from illness wasn’t enough to prevent Spurs from slipping to a second straight defeat yesterday morning.

The Dane was joined by Erik Lamela and Josh Onomah in the attacking midfield roles behind summer signing Vincent Janssen, whilst fellow new boy Victor Wanyama was afforded another start in central midfield.

Both Lamela – who scored against Juventus in midweek – and Onomah rattled the woodwork but Mauricio Pochettino’s men were unable to find a way past the Champions League runners-up, with Atletico keeper Jan Oblak earning the man of the match accolade.

The Spurs boss was again without his Euro 2016 contingent and relied on a number of youngsters as he rang the changes over the second period. At the back, Kevin Wimmer missed out once more with a minor hamstring problem.

Spurs XI: Vorm (McGee 75); Trippier (Walker-Peters 60), Walkes, Carter-Vickers, Yedlin (Miller 60); Wanyama (Mason 46), Winks (Ball 75); Lamela (Son 46), Eriksen (Carroll 46), Onomah (Chadli 60); Janssen (Edwards 75).

Reading 1 Bournemouth 1

Summer signing Lewis Cook opened his Bournemouth account as his new side completed the first part of a pre-season double header.

The former Leeds star scored eight minutes before half-time, but their Championship opponents fought back after the break, exposing a Cherries backline missing a number of key personnel.

Howe was forced to use winger Marc Pugh at right-back to cover for his lack of options at the back, and having conceded three goals in their previous run-out at Portsmouth, his team’s defensive fragility remains a worry with the Premier League opener now just a fortnight away.

Nathan Ake was given his first start, playing on the left-hand side of central defence alongside captain Simon Francis, and Max Gradel returned in midfield following a one-match suspension.

After the match, Eddie Howe was optimistic that the injury situation in defence will clear up before their season opener against Man United two weeks’ tomorrow:

“Having two games to get teams together for this weekend is difficult. You need eight defenders and we don’t have that at the moment. But we are confident we will have enough by the time the season starts, whether that means we will have to recruit or that we will have people back fit, we will have to wait and see.”

The relevance of Howe’s team selections has to be tempered by the fact that Bournemouth are in action again today, at home to Cardiff City.

Nonetheless, the Cherries boss was certainly pleased with the performance of his new signings:

“Lewis took his goal very well and it was a really energetic performance from him.Nathan also looked very comfortable at centre back, so that was very pleasing to see and a good sign for us. I think this is the squad with the most potential that I’ve ever had. They have to prove now that they are the best squad, and that will come with the results and performances ahead of us.”

Bournemouth XI: Boruc, MacDonald, Francis, Ake, Daniels, Gosling, Cook, Gradel, Pugh, King, Wilson (Mousset 62).