Andy Robertson has revealed that one aspect of pre-season at Tottenham has been like nothing he has experienced before in his career.
With the new campaign less than two weeks away, Roberto De Zerbi’s men are stepping up preparations for their trip to Brentford, as the Italian looks to get his ideas across to the squad.
That was evident from the fact that many senior Spurs players got plenty of minutes against Getafe as the Lilywhites played out a 1-1 draw against the Spanish side in a 70-minute game at Hotspur Way on Saturday.
Tottenham then played another friendly on Sunday against their own U21s, with the likes of Kevin Danso, Marcos Senesi, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes and Pape Sarr featuring.
Andy Robertson admits jet lag has led to ‘tough’ first pre-season at Tottenham
Robertson, who was involved against Getafe, has now admitted that the pre-season has been extremely tough on the squad physically.
The left-back revealed that he has never experienced jet lag to the level he did this pre-season as Spurs travelled to New Zealand and Australia for their preparations.
The Scot told Spurs Play following the draw against Getafe: “It was tough. It’s been a really tough week pre-season-wise. I think that’s what some people don’t see behind the scenes.
“We’ve been working hard this week, probably not a normal week preparing for a Saturday game. It was a good test and more minutes in the legs for all of us. We’ll take the positives.
“Jet lag has been something I’ve never had like that before, that’s for sure. We were 11 hours ahead in New Zealand, and nine hours ahead in Australia, so we needed a couple of days to adapt.”
Robertson admits Spurs players are continuing to learn Roberto De Zerbi’s system
The former Liverpool man confessed that since returning to London, the players have spent a lot of time in the meeting room to better understand what De Zerbi expects of them.
He believes that the tough physical challenge he and his teammates encountered against the Spanish side will hold them in good stead as the new campaign fast approaches.
Robertson added: “We’ve also been doing long days. In the meeting room, the manager is trying to drill home what he wants us to do and how he wants us to play. We’ve been working long hours on the pitch. That’s what you need to do in pre-season.
“When it comes to the game [against Getafe], you’re probably a little bit leggy and a little bit mentally tired as well, but we had to get through it and I think we did. I don’t think it was the prettiest and probably not the greatest of games, but it will stand us in good stead.”