The arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur was supposed to be a moment of fresh hope and excitement, but the new manager has immediately been hit with a massive wave of bad news.
As he prepares for his very first match in charge against Sunderland this Sunday, he is facing an injury crisis that could leave his squad completely depleted. Taking over a team is never easy, but doing it while missing nearly an entire starting lineup of key players is a nightmare scenario for any coach, especially one trying to save the club from the threat of relegation.
When Spurs travel to the Stadium of Light, they could be without as many as ten senior players. This creates a huge selection headache for De Zerbi before he has even had a chance to name his first team sheet. The timing is terrible because Tottenham is currently in a desperate fight to stay in the Premier League. Every single point matters right now, and having to face a confident Sunderland side without your best players is far from ideal.
The fans were hoping for a “new manager bounce,” but the medical room at Hotspur Way is currently busier than the training pitch. The list of players who are definitely out is long and worrying. Two of the club’s most creative and dangerous attacking options, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert, are dealing with long-term knee injuries. Their absence has been felt for a while, and it doesn’t look like they will be back anytime soon. To make matters worse, James Maddison is also sidelined with a knee problem of his own.
Missing these three players means the team has lost a huge amount of its ability to create chances and score goals, which is exactly what they need to do to move away from the bottom of the table. There are several other players who are working hard to get back to fitness, but they might not be ready in time for the weekend.Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario are all making progress and hope to return at some point this month.
However, rushing them back for the Sunderland game would be a huge risk. If they get injured again, they could be out for the rest of the season, which would be a total disaster for the club’s survival hopes. De Zerbi has to decide if it is worth the gamble or if he should trust the few healthy players he has left.As if that wasn’t enough, there are even more doubts in the midfield and attack. Yves Bissouma and Mathys Tel have both been dealing with minor knocks.
There is a small bit of good news, as Bissouma was recently spotted in a training session, but it is still unclear if he is fit enough to play ninety minutes of intense football. Then there is the fresh concern regarding Pape Matar Sarr. He went away to play for Senegal and came back with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss his national team’s game against Gambia. Since he hasn’t been seen in training yet since returning to London, most people expect him to miss the trip to the North East.
While Tottenham is struggling with all these problems, Sunderland is in a much better position. Their manager, Régis Le Bris, has the team playing well and looking up the table rather than down. They are pushing for a top-ten finish and even have a small hope of qualifying for a European competition if results go their way. Facing a broken and tired Spurs team at home is a massive opportunity for them to pick up three points.
The contrast between the two clubs right now is very clear: one is full of confidence and looking to grow, while the other is just trying to survive and keep its head above water.Everyone is waiting for De Zerbi’s first official press conference later this week. That is when we will get a much clearer picture of who is actually available to play. He will likely give updates on the fitness of the squad and perhaps explain how he plans to deal with so many missing stars.
It is a true “baptism of fire” for the Italian. He was hired for his tactical brilliance and his ability to make teams play beautiful football, but for this first game, he might just have to find a way to be ugly and functional just to get a result.The relegation battle is becoming more intense every week. For a club like Tottenham, the thought of playing in the Championship next year is unthinkable, but the reality is starting to set in.
If they cannot find a way to overcome these injury setbacks, the climb out of the bottom three will become even steeper. De Zerbi has the passion and the skill to lead this club, but he has certainly been dealt a very difficult hand for his opening act. Fans will be watching closely on Sunday to see if the players who are left can step up and fight for the badge during one of the most difficult periods in the club’s recent history.
It will take a massive effort from everyone involved to come away from the Stadium of Light with something to show for it.
