Iversen gives new-look Spurs the nod

Wycombe Wanderers 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Glenn Hoddle's new model army met some stiff resistance in the Buckinghamshire woods yesterday before managing to subdue Wycombe Wanderers, as they had done Swindon and Leyton Orient earlier on in a hectic week's work. It was, nevertheless, a satisfactory afternoon which confirmed, as the previous games had suggested, that White Hart Lane should this season see an improvement on the often mediocre fare offered in the last campaign.

Of the impressive array of new recruits, Teddy Sheringham, Gustavo Poyet and Goran Bunjevcevic all started and showed up well, while Christian Ziege was given the last 25 minutes for his debut after signing from Liverpool. With something to prove to Gérard Houllier, and a place in Germany's World Cup team to regain, he does not lack incentives.

"We're getting there slowly, and so far the preparation's been very good," Hoddle said after a useful work-out in front of a capacity crowd, whose arrival along the one approach road to Adams Park delayed the start by 15 minutes.

Taking over from George Graham towards the end of last season, Hoddle had little time to effect much improvement to an injury-riven squad that finished the season in the same spot, 12th. Given the chance – and the money – to sign his own players, he would appear to have done well in picking up such a distinguished quartet for considerably less than the price of a Sergei Rebrov.

Bunjevcevic, who cost a modest £1.5m from Red Star Belgrade, possesses different qualities from the defector Sol Campbell: he is more like a Gareth Southgate, bringing the ball out of defence and looking to play in his strikers with a cultured left foot. The Yugoslav seems certain to be first choice in defence, while Chris Perry, Gary Doherty, Luke Young and Ledley King contest the other two places.

Stephen Carr and Ziege are the obvious choices in the wing-back system that Hoddle favours, with at least two strong candidates for each of the three positions in between them. Yesterday he opted for Carr and Mauricio Taricco to start with, Darren Anderton, Stephen Clemence and Poyet in the centre and Sheringham working to good effect just behind his former England partner Les Ferdinand.

The two strikers combined neatly to put Spurs ahead after 55 minutes, Sheringham celebrating his first game for the club in four years with a neat finish as Wycombe appealed for hands. The home side equalised five minutes later through Danny Senda after the lively new signing Darren Currie had been sent clear of a square back-line, and 13 minutes from the end Carr made ground on the right and placed a cross on Steffen Iversen's head for the winner.

Wycombe Wanderers 1

Senda 60

Tottenham Hotspur 2

Sheringham 55, Iversen 77

Half-time 0-0 Attendance: 8,018