Chaotic would probably be the most appropriate way to describe Tottenham’s 2022-23 season, which saw Antonio Conte launch a brutal verbal assault on his players, Newcastle United hit the Lilywhites for six and the North London club’s failure to qualify for continental competition.
For the first time in 14 seasons, there will be no European football on offer for the North London giants next year, as Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Masonjoined forces to guide Tottenham to an underwhelming eighth-placed finish, with 63 goals conceded in tow.
It was only fitting for Tottenham’s managerial search to typify their on-field fortunes in 2022-23, as the likes of Arne Slot, Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and ex-head coach Mauricio Pochettino all decided that the job was not for them, forcing chairman Daniel Levy to look further down his list of candidates.
In a bid to end his side’s 15-year trophy drought, Levy has taken a punt on a man who won three in one season with Celtic last term, awarding Australian trailblazer Postecoglou a four-year contract as the Athens-born coach seeks to bring attacking football back to the white half of North London.
Following their brief stopover in the South Pacific, Tottenham host Shakhtar Donetsk in a charity friendly – perhaps also aiming to rebuild any burned bridges over the Manor Solomon transfer – before a showdown with Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy precedes their Premier League opener away to London rivals Brentford.
Warming up for that capital clash against one of their fellow London counterparts Down Under, Tottenham pit their wits against a West Ham side who are further along in their pre-season preparations, having already seen off Boreham Wood and Perth Glory in emphatic fashion.
After easing to a 4-1 success over the former team, the Irons boarded their flight to Australia and flaunted their attacking firepower in a 6-2 victory over Perth Glory on Saturday, with Jarrod Bowen scoring twice alongside efforts from Gianluca Scamacca, Emerson Palmieri, Danny Ings and Divin Mubama.
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There may have been six places and 20 points between Spurs and West Ham in the Premier League table at the climax of the 2022-23 season, as Moyes’s side flirted with the possibility of relegation for several months, but what they lacked domestically, the Hammers more than made up for continentally.
Entering the 2023-24 campaign with a Europa Conference League crown to defend, West Ham are also £105m richer following the eventual sale of captain Declan Rice to Arsenal, and Tuesday’s game will mark their final Pacific contest before European ventures await.
Indeed, Moyes’s side will also face off against Dagenham & Redbridge, Rennes and Bayer Leverkusen in exhibition games this summer, but they have gone winless in their last four Premier League contests versus Tottenham, who may still accept a few pointers from their London rivals when it comes to adding to their silverware cabinet.
