LONDON -- As dress rehearsals go, it could have been worse for Tottenham. True, they may need to find an understudy for Kieran Trippier after the new leading man hobbled off with an ankle injury, and the attendance was embarrassing, but nobody fluffed their lines in Saturday's 2-0 win over Juventus at Wembley.
The jubilation of Spurs' farewell to White Hart Lane and record-breaking finish to last season has given way to restlessness at the club's lethargy in the transfer market, with no new players signed, and anxiety about the campaign ahead at Wembley. The glum mood was not helped by ticket prices for their only preseason game on home soil -- set, and hastily revised, by organisers Relevant Sports, rather than the club. Supporters have a season of competitive fixtures at the 90,000-seat stadium ahead and they voted with their feet on Saturday.
But for the 26,251 there, the win against the Champions League runners-up was cause for optimism. Spurs' competitive record at the new Wembley still stands at seven defeats in 10 matches, but this victory, sealed by wonderful goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, added credence to Ledley King's belief that it will be different this season.
King was club captain for three defeats at Wembley -- the 2010 League Cup final, and the FA Cup semifinals in 2010 and 2012 -- but he told ESPN FC that "playing for points would bring a different feel." Put another way, finals and semifinals are generally tougher than the average league game.
Spurs were playing for Champions League points last year, of course, but other senior figures at the club, notably Mauricio Pochettino, agree that the Wembley hoodoo has been overstated. The manager has admitted that his fledgling team were not ready to reach the 2015 League Cup final, which they lost to Chelsea, and there were mitigating circumstances to last season's European failures. The FA Cup semifinal defeat to Chelsea is regarded as a freak result.
Pochettino was not about to dwell on the Juventus win, however. "Preseason is not about the results," he said afterwards -- but it was clearly significant for his players to get the monkey off their backs -- or, at least, stop it from jumping on again.
"It was very important to get a good feeling here," Toby Alderweireld told ESPN FC. "Because this is going to be our home. We played against a very, very good team and a win gives us confidence."
It was Spurs' first visit to Wembley since losing 4-2 to Chelsea in April, and the club does not have an agreement with the Football Association (FA) to train at the national stadium. Ben Davies was more cautious than Alderweireld, admitting afterwards: "It's still new for us, it's our first time here this year and we're going to have to get used to it fast."
How quickly they can establish familiarity at Wembley is, according to sports psychologist Dan Abrahams, the most important factor for Tottenham in replicating their success at White Hart Lane -- now a heap of rubble from which their new stadium is steadily rising.
"Familiarity can release the kind of feel-good chemicals that aid high performance," Abrahams, who works with Premier League players, told ESPN FC. "Familiar faces, knowing where the changing rooms are, knowing the quality and size of the pitch -- all of that matters."
Indeed, Wembley's big pitch -- some 545 square metres bigger than Spurs are used to at the Lane -- has been repeatedly cited as a reason for their struggles. Pochettino bemoaned the Lane's tight pitch when he first arrived at the club in 2014 because it allowed opponents to sit deep and frustrate Spurs, but it became instrumental to the success of his high-pressing game. His team simply suffocated the majority of visitors on the way to 21 wins and two draws from 23 matches there last season, but they appeared unable to do the same at Wembley.
"We tried to make it a good thing today," Alderweireld said of the extra space. Spurs did appear more willing than usual to concede possession and they hit the Italian champions on the counterattack whenever possible.
Pochettino's attention to detail is meticulous -- he has had one of the training pitches at Hotspur Way adapted to Wembley's dimensions since the beginning of last season -- and he is adept at tweaking his system to accommodate different players. For example, the passes Spurs play to right-back Trippier are noticeably different to the ones they played to his predecessor Kyle Walker. The coach is a firm believer in his footballing philosophy but it is not impossible that Spurs will play in a different style in home games this season.
Spurs' hopes of a gentle start at Wembley and a chance to gradually acclimatise to their home-away-from-home were dashed by the fixture computer. Chelsea are the first visitors there in the Premier League in two weeks' time, in what is arguably the most heated rivalry in the English top-flight right now and a battle between last season's top two. Wembley is expected to be packed to the rafters for that one and it offers Spurs a chance to immediately earn a landmark win at Wembley and set the tone for the season. Equally, a defeat would lead to more questions about their ability to perform on the Wembley stage.
A win against an undercooked Juventus, a week behind in their preparations for the new league season, ultimately means little but Spurs should only be encouraged by their warm-up act. Attention now turns to the main event.
Dan is ESPN FC's Tottenham correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Dan_KP.
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