Roberto De Zerbi has played down injury concerns for Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Omar Marmoush after the trio were substituted during Tottenham's 3-1 win over Coventry City.
Spurs secured their first league victory of the season, moving up to 16th in the Premier League table, with goals from James Maddison, Marmoush and Ben Davies. The match also saw Maddison make his first competitive start since May 2025 and Dejan Kulusevski return after 526 days out injured.
Second-half substitutions raise concerns
Robertson appeared to suffer a hamstring issue, Tosin required assessment as he left the pitch, and Marmoush was seen clutching his right calf. All three were replaced during the second half.
However, De Zerbi dismissed fears of significant problems for the trio. “No, no, no, I think there are no injuries, nothing important,” he said after the match.
Midfield selection issues explained
Before kick-off, De Zerbi confirmed that Destiny Udogie had been ruled out with a knee injury sustained during the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. He also revealed that Conor Gallagher had been struggling for fitness in the lead-up to the game.
Explaining the decision to use a three-man defence in possession, De Zerbi cited midfield absences. “We played three at the back [in possession], I want to explain why, because for the injured players in the midfield position, Conor Gallagher came back two days ago, and at the beginning of the week, the medical staff told me maybe he could not be available to play,” he said.
“Bergvall was injured, Mateus Fernandes worked just the last two days because of his [newborn] son, and I thought three at the back was the best solution to defend the counter-attack, to have more control of the game, and for that I'm happy because we didn't concede a counter-attack.”
Defensive discipline praised
De Zerbi noted that Coventry's style is heavily reliant on counter-attacks and that his side did not concede any. “The Coventry style of play is 80 per cent counter-attack, and we didn't concede any counter-attack,” he added.
“We conceded one shot, we didn't create more chances or too many chances like the other games, to be honest, but I knew before the game, and I prepared the game, saying to the players this game was maybe the most difficult, because the defensive style of Coventry is different than Manchester United or the other games.”
