Tottenham will be looking to bounce back from their humbling 3-0 defeat by Brentford when they host Charlton in the Carabao Cup second round on Wednesday.
Systematically picked apart by Keith Andrews’ Bees on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, Roberto De Zerbi was left shell-shocked as his new-look Spurs side were ruthlessly punished at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Afterwards, De Zerbi said he hoped that the result would act as a wake-up call for his team, who showed similar fragility to last season despite boasting £237million worth of new signings.
Charlton’s strong start
Luckily for the Spurs boss, he has the chance to right some wrongs almost immediately with Championship outfit Charlton the visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek.
Tottenham will be the favourites to progress from another London derby, but they must be wary of the threat posed by Nathan Jones’ Addicks, who have won all three games to start the season.
After beating Cheltenham in the first round of the Carabao Cup, Charlton have made the perfect start to their Championship campaign and stunned West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium last weekend.
Players to watch
Spurs, meanwhile, are in desperate need of a morale boost, with De Zerbi likely to ring the changes in an attempt to get a reaction from his squad.
Here, Standard Sport identifies three Tottenham players who could get a chance to impress against Charlton.
Luca Williams-Barnett
For all the issues with Spurs’ performance against Brentford, it was in attack where they looked concerningly short of inspiration.
Richarlison’s hold-up play flattered to deceive and led Tottenham to cheaply surrender possession for Brentford’s second goal. On the wing, Mathys Tel and Mikey Moore were nullified by the marauding runs of Brentford full-backs Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter.
Attacking reinforcements are incoming, with Savio now signed and Omar Marmoush’s arrival close, but De Zerbi has been struggling for options. Spurs’ attack looks lifeless, void of creativity or confidence, but one player who will be chomping at the bit to make an impression is 17-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett.
Long since considered as one of the brightest talents out of the club’s academy, Williams-Barnett showed glimpses of his raw and explosive talent during pre-season. More senior minutes appear to be just around the corner for the young attacker, and Wednesday offers a good test for him to prove his credentials.
Able to play across the frontline, De Zerbi could opt to start Williams-Barnett on the wing or as the No10 in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation against Charlton.
Malachi Hardy
Another player who impressed for Tottenham during pre-season was academy centre-back Malachi Hardy.
Enjoying starring roles in all three of Spurs’ games Down Under, De Zerbi showed his faith in the 18-year-old and name-checked him as a talent for the future. “Malachi is another good player for the future of the club,” De Zerbi said after Spurs’ 2-0 win over Auckland FC at Eden Park last month.
Given the defensive additions Tottenham have made this summer, first-team opportunities will be tricky to come by for Hardy, but he will be in contention to get some vital minutes against Charlton.
De Zerbi must decide whether to persist with the centre-back partnership of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, or take them out of the firing line for a game after struggling to impose themselves on debut against Brentford. Should he opt for the latter, Hardy will be well-placed to step in and make his senior debut for the club.
Mateus Fernandes
Mateus Fernandes’ cameo off the bench was arguably the only bright spot in a woeful Spurs performance last weekend.
Named among the substitutes as he continues to manage his fitness after struggling with calf fatigue during pre-season, Fernandes looks ready to take the next step in his recovery by making a full Tottenham debut.
Signed from rivals West Ham for a then club-record £85m fee, Fernandes has arrived in north London with lofty expectations. The 22-year-old appears to be the archetypal fit for De Zerbi’s double pivot, and he provided composure but also cutting edge after being introduced to steady the ship against Brentford.
The sooner Spurs can get Fernandes playing consistently alongside Sandro Tonali, the better they will look. Fernandes offers the safety in possession and calm under pressure that should allow Tonali to flourish, but as is the case across the pitch, De Zerbi needs time to build these relationships.
Charlton should offer a good opportunity for Fernandes to get some more minutes in his legs, and after a disrupted pre-season, supporters could get a glimpse of the club’s new £185m midfield pairing.
