Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham starting XI against Brentford could have looked very different this weekend had the Italian had a full squad to choose from.
Tottenham Hotspur have put a lot into preparation for the 26-27 Premier League season, with the Lilywhites playing eight friendly matches, including three games in Oceania.
Spurs have also been busy in the summer transfer market, spending a whopping £237million on six recruits as they look to bolster their squad.
All these efforts will now be put to the test with the Premier League campaign a few days away from kicking off.
Tottenham are set to begin their 26-27 league season with a clash against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Tottenham’s squad set for major changes ahead of Brentford opener
There is no denying that the Tottenham squad is going to look very different from the last one that took to the pitch on the final day of last season.
That is because of the sheer scale of transfer activity to have taken place already this summer, with Spurs moving on eleven players.
The likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence and Cristian Romero, who have been a big part of the Tottenham setup in the last two seasons, have departed north London and are no longer options for De Zerbi.
The former Brighton boss also has injuries to contend with heading into the Brentford game, with four players sidelined and several others doubts for Saturday’s outing.
Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons are all injured and will not be available for selection against the Bees this weekend.
Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke are doubts for the encounter. Udogie lacks match fitness, while Solanke is nursing an ankle problem.
Micky Van de Ven and Pedro Porro have also been ruled out due to lack of match fitness, while Savinho has not yet been confirmed as a new signing.
The absence of these players is sure to affect how De Zerbi sets his team up against Keith Andrews’ side this weekend.
How Spurs’ ideal XI would look against Brentford
However, should everyone be fit, the Tottenham XI will look very different. For one, the backline will include van de Ven and Udogie, who are currently set to miss the game on Saturday.
In midfield, James Maddison will likely start from the off as opposed to Conor Gallagher, who is in prime position to feature in the number ten position.
Maddison is also lacking match sharpness, having only featured once in pre-season. His involvement came in Tottenham’s final pre-season friendly match against Hoffenheim.
Up top in the game this weekend, we do expect to see a front three of Mikey Moore, Richarlison and Mathys Tel.
While these three showed their quality in pre-season, there is no denying that should Mohammed Kudus be fit, he would feature out on the right of Spurs’ attack.
A fully fit Solanke will also have come in for Richarlison, while on the left, if Tottenham had managed to get Savinho through the door early, Saturday’s game would have seen him make his Spurs debut.
However, De Zerbi will have to make do with what he has at his disposal, but as fans, the starting XI we would have loved to see this weekend is:
Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali, Maddison; Kudus, Solanke, Savinho.