De Zerbi's First Look at Tottenham's £200m Rebuild Against MK Dons
Tottenham’s £200m rebuild steps out of the shadows tonight, and Roberto De Zerbi finally gets a first live look at his new project.
Behind closed doors at Hotspur Way, Spurs face MK Dons in their opening pre-season friendly, a low-key setting for what is anything but a low-key summer.
De Zerbi’s first glimpse of the new Spurs
Two weeks of drills, meetings and tactical briefings now move onto the pitch. De Zerbi, appointed to sharpen Tottenham’s identity and edge, will use this game as an early inspection of who has taken his ideas on board and who is playing catch-up.
Spurs have thrown more than £200million at this window, six new faces through the door, and several of them are expected to feature in some capacity. The game will be heavily managed, minutes shared, but the stakes are clear for those involved: impress now, or risk slipping down the pecking order before August even arrives.
Tonali and Fernandes ready to show a glimpse
All eyes, even from outside the training ground fences, will drift towards Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Both midfielders are in line for their first Tottenham outings against MK Dons. Fernandes should see a decent chunk of action as he starts to knit into De Zerbi’s possession-heavy patterns.
Tonali’s role will likely be more controlled. The Italian joined pre-season late because of work permit issues, so his minutes are expected to be limited, more about rhythm than statement. For De Zerbi, though, even a short cameo offers a first live look at how Tonali might dictate the tempo of this new-look midfield.
Another fresh face, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, has also been training with the squad and could be handed his first appearance in Spurs colours at some stage.
World Cup absentees and Robertson’s quiet arrival
While the new signings filter in, several established names are still nowhere near a return. Those involved in this summer’s World Cup have not yet reported back.
Pedro Porro, a starter for Spain in their 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in Sunday’s final, will enjoy an extended break, as will fellow World Cup finalists Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi. Djed Spence, who helped England to a third-place finish and impressed throughout the tournament, is also unavailable tonight.
One major arrival did appear at Hotspur Way this week, though. Scotland captain Andy Robertson was in attendance on Tuesday for his first day as a Spurs player after joining on a free transfer from Liverpool. He will not feature against MK Dons, but his presence underlines the scale of Tottenham’s reset down the left flank.
Injury rehab and long roads back
De Zerbi’s options are further trimmed by a lengthy injury list. Several key talents are on individual recovery plans and will be restricted to watching brief.
Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert, both recovering from serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries, have been seen around the training ground but remain some distance from a return to action. Mohammed Kudus, working his way back from a major quad problem, is following a separate rehabilitation schedule as he builds towards full fitness.
The same story applies to Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede did not play a single minute last season due to a persistent knee issue and will not be rushed now, however tempting it might be to accelerate his comeback.
Academy doors open: Moore and Donley step in
With senior names missing, the door swings open for the academy.
Mikey Moore has trained regularly with the first team and is in contention for minutes against MK Dons. Fresh from an eye-catching loan spell at Rangers, the young forward remains one of the most coveted prospects in the system. De Zerbi has not yet decided whether Moore will stay around the first team this season or head back out on loan, and tonight’s performance could nudge that decision one way or the other.
Jamie Donley is another youngster making a strong impression. The academy forward has been involved with the senior group over the last couple of weeks and is understood to have caught De Zerbi’s eye in training. A sharp display this evening would only strengthen his case for more opportunities as pre-season unfolds.
Heavy rotation and an early blueprint
This is not a night for rigid line-ups or iron legs. De Zerbi is expected to rotate heavily, ensuring as many players as possible get some time on the pitch and a feel for his demands.
Even so, there is a rough shape to what Tottenham might look like. Standard Sport’s predicted XI for the 5pm kick-off at Hotspur Way reads: Kinsky; Takai, Phillips, Davies, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali; Yang, Donley, Tel; Solanke.
It is only pre-season, only MK Dons, only a behind-closed-doors run-out. But for De Zerbi and a rebuilt Spurs squad, this is the first brushstroke on a blank canvas. How many of those on show tonight will still be part of the picture when the Premier League starts to bite?
