Spurs Prepare for New Season as De Zerbi Focuses on Key Players
Tottenham are home again. The long-haul miles to New Zealand and Australia are in the legs, the jet lag is fading, and this afternoon at Hotspur Way the work turns serious, if silent, in a behind-closed-doors meeting with LaLiga side Getafe.
No crowds. No fanfare. Just De Zerbi, his players, and the ticking clock to Brentford away in two weeks’ time.
From Down Under drama to quiet refinement
Spurs return from their tour unbeaten, four games without defeat and a late surge of confidence tucked in their hand luggage. The final act of the trip was pure theatre: reduced to 10 men after Kevin Danso’s dismissal, Tottenham still found a way to floor Chelsea, Richarlison snatching a 2-1 win with virtually the last kick.
That kind of moment lingers. It tells a dressing room something about itself. But De Zerbi knows pre-season momentum can evaporate quickly if the foundations are soft.
His side is “gearing up nicely”, as the cliché goes, yet the Italian coach walks a tightrope. He wants rhythm, relationships, repeat patterns. He also knows last season’s campaign came apart at the seams largely because of injuries. He is not about to repeat that mistake.
Caution over key men
So the big names move carefully. Destiny Udogie has yet to kick a ball this summer. James Maddison, still sidelined by a hip problem, has not featured either and is now in a race against time to make that opener at Brentford.
Micky van de Ven, on the verge of signing a new contract, has also been kept on ice since returning from the World Cup. Dominic Solanke only just rejoined the action with his first minutes of pre-season against Chelsea.
De Zerbi’s caution is deliberate. Every training drill, every friendly, is weighed against the memory of last year’s unraveling. He wants his best players available when it counts, not burning brightly in July and broken by October.
Yet he also understands the other side of the equation. This has been a heavy summer of spending. New faces need to learn each other’s runs, habits, and flaws. The manager wants to get close to a full-strength side against Getafe, to see how the pieces fit when the noise is stripped away.
Kudus and Kulusevski step back into view
There was a jolt of optimism at Hotspur Way this week. Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski, both long-term absentees, were seen running together in training, a sight Spurs supporters have waited months to witness.
Kudus has been missing since January with a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has been out even longer, more than a year after a patella problem in May 2025. Two creative sparks, two big gaps in Tottenham’s attacking arsenal.
The club is treating Kulusevski with particular care. After so long out, there is no rush, no gamble. The Swedish playmaker is not yet in full team training and remains some distance from a return to competitive action.
Kudus is closer. He has rejoined the main group, building towards full fitness, but the expectation is that he will not be risked today. His comeback, when it arrives, needs to stick.
Fernandes back in the frame
One player who could feature is Mateus Fernandes. The £85million signing has shaken off the calf issue that ruled him out of the last two games and is back in contention to face Getafe.
For De Zerbi, that matters. The Brazilian is a central pillar of the new-look Spurs, and the sooner he can build an understanding with the likes of Sandro Tonali, the better. These are the sessions where automatisms are forged, where the midfield learns when to press, when to sit, who takes the ball under pressure.
At Hotspur Way this afternoon, Fernandes may finally get the chance to slot back into that pattern.
Shape of things to come
The predicted XI for this behind-closed-doors run-out offers a glimpse of De Zerbi’s current thinking:
Kinsky; Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali; Williams-Barnett, Gallagher, Tel; Solanke.
It is not yet the finished article. Maddison, Udogie and Kudus remain doubts, pieces that could change the feel of the side once they are ready. But the spine is there, the structure forming.
After Getafe, Spurs face a double-header against Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim next weekend, the final dress rehearsals before the Premier League curtain rises at Brentford.
The tour is over. The cameras are fewer. The work now is quieter, sharper, and far less forgiving. In two weeks’ time, we find out if this careful caution and behind-closed-doors graft has given Tottenham the resilience they lacked when it mattered most.
