Santini turns up the heat

One week before the start of the new season and already the heat is on Tottenham and their new coach Jacques Santini - literally and metaphorically.

If the former France manager wanted a quickfire introduction to some of the many absurdities that make English football unique, he has found it in the draining pre-season schedule which his new club are currently undertaking.

Each morning his players negotiate training in the melting pot that is Seville by starting their sessions early and drinking copious amounts of water. Being outside in temperatures which spiral past 90F represents a severe test of their stamina - but further examinations of their energy levels will come even before the Premiership begins.

Having already visited Sweden and Scotland for pre-season trips, they head back to London from Spain for another friendly, against Cagliari at White Hart Lane on Saturday. Then they jet north to play Celtic in their final friendly on Tuesday.

By the time they reach Anfield on Saturday week, their season will already be 12 games old - surely one of the most ambitious build-ups ever attempted. For this Santini can blame his predecessor David Pleat, who agreed the schedule earlier this year. The Frenchman has used the time to study his squad and identify the areas which need to be improved. He has already handed chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Frank Arnesen a wish-list of players for the new season.

So far Spurs have spent a fraction of the £15million raised by a share scheme earlier in the year but Santini is desperate to improve the quality of a squad that slumped to their fourth pre-season defeat against Feyenoord on Tuesday.