The half-time ratings from Tottenham’s last pre-season friendly against Hoffenheim are in, as Premier League season starts on the 22nd of August.Photo by SpursWebTottenham first-half player ratings against HoffenheimBrandon AustinSpurs’ goalkeeper for the day gave as good of an account of himself as he probably could have, with Hoffenheim showing plenty of attacking intent. Austin’s imposing stature proved useful in making interventions, as well as punching and claiming crosses, and while he wasn’t able to provide the same platform for building attacks as Antonin Kinsky does with his distribution, he didn’t make any mistakes either. Bonus points for getting close to saving Hlozek’s penalty. 7/10SouzaSouza had the unfortunate look of someone who barely played a minute of men’s football in the last few months. The young left-back too often looked lost when in possession and couldn’t impose himself physically on Hoffenheim’s attack. Aside from a few bright sparks of youthful exuberance and ingenuity, Souza remained largely anonymous. He’s probably one of those players that would benefit most from going out on loan to play consistent minutes. 5/10Kevin DansoKevin Danso played a competent half of football, showing the defensive solidity he’s come to be known for at Spurs. It’s hard to argue that making line-breaking passes is Danso’s remit, but the technical dropoff between him and Jan Paul van Hecke was nonetheless apparent. 6/10Ben DaviesBen Davies has again shown to be a steady pair of hands to call upon when needed. Davies was able to take charge of organising the defence and seemed to have a calming effect on his teammates. Scored a bullet of a header too. 7/10Tyrese HallTye-Hall again didn’t look out of place when playing at right-back, and his familiarity with Damola Ajayi from his days at Tottenham’s youth teams showed quite well as they managed to combine on the wings a few times. 7/10 Rodrigo BentancurRoberto De Zerbi elected to shape up in an unfamiliar shape for Spurs, featuring a box midfield made up of Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes, Pape Sarr and James Maddison in the most advanced role. Bentancur’s unfamiliarity either with his role or his teammates resulted in the midfield struggled to progress the ball in any meaningful way. 5/10Pape Matar SarrPape Sarr was another player who struggled to make an impact in midfield, especially in the beginning of the game. His aggressive press did lead to Luca Williams Barnett’s goal in the closing stages of the second half, but his in-possession impact was minimal as Pape couldn’t get on the ball. 5/10Mateus FernandesEven when Tottenham’s midfield wasn’t able to operate at the highest level cohesiveness-wise, Mateus Fernandes’ individual technical brilliance shone through. Both his short and long passing games were the bright sparks of Spurs’ performance, and he delivered a great cross for Ben Davies to put away. 8/10Luca Williams-BarnettWilliams-Barnett was another player who made a positive impact on the pitch. He squeezed a great strike past Hoffenheim’s keeper and looked threatening whenever he received the ball on the wing. 7/10James MaddisonMaddison struggled to influence the game from a shadow-striker role, and being forced to drop deeper to get on the ballHis performance was undermined by giving away a cheap penalty. Nonetheless its good to see him back 5/10Credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramDamola AjayiA good performance from Ajayi who managed to carve a few chances for himself despite relatively little service. He combined well with Tye Hall on the right side. 6/10The post Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Hoffenheim as James Maddison returns to the XI appeared first on Spurs Web.