Roberto De Zerbi rotated his Tottenham squad against Liverpool in the EFL Cup in midweek.
Tottenham Hotspur have had a slow start to the season, unable to find the net in each of their first four Premier League outings.
The Lilywhites went down 3-1 to Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, following goalless draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi rang some changes to his XI to keep his squad fresh and hand some players an opportunity to impress.
Mohammed Kudus was handed his first start of the campaign following recent appearances off the bench. Tosin Adarabioyo made his full Tottenham debut after being used as a substitute in the 0-0 draw with Everton. The 28-year-old made the controversial move from Chelsea to Spurs on transfer deadline day, replacing Kevin Danso in Roberto De Zerbi’s roster. Partnering him in central defence was fellow summer signing Marcos Senesi, who moved to N17 on a free transfer from Bournemouth.
Roberto De Zerbi praises Tottenham duo despite defeat at Liverpool
It was the first time Tosin Adarabioyo and Marcos Senesi were starting as a pair in central defence. Considering that, the duo did well, in Roberto De Zerbi’s opinion, which should baffle many fans as Spurs were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool.
“I’m very happy. I’m very happy for the squad; I have really specific players. Also, the two centre-backs against Liverpool, Senesi and Tosin, played very well. I’m happy about these players,” De Zerbi said in his press conference on Friday.
Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke are the first-choice centre-backs for De Zerbi. So, the signings of Senesi and Tosin were to provide back-up to them, and as Spurs are not participating in Europe and now eliminated from the Carabao Cup, they are expected to be squad options this season. Tosin and Senesi will want to play regularly, but that will only be possible in case of an injury to either Van de Ven or Van Hecke.
De Zerbi’s admission that he is happy with the squad and singling out Senesi and Tosin for praise shows the trust he has in them. Tosin, in particular, was impressive against Liverpool in midweek, and with more minutes under his belt, the former Manchester City man will be an important player for the Lilywhites this season.
The Spurs boss will want all his players to be ready to perform at a high level whenever called upon.