Tottenham’s Pre-Season Test Against Getafe: A Crucial Step for De Zerbi

Tottenham’s pre-season steps up a gear this afternoon with a quietly significant test hidden from public view.

Behind the gates at Hotspur Way, Spurs face Getafe in a 70-minute, behind-closed-doors friendly that will tell Roberto De Zerbi far more than any glossy tour highlight reel.

They are back in London now, the jet lag from New Zealand and Australia giving way to something more valuable: rhythm. Four games unbeaten on tour have given this squad a platform, and the mood around the training ground reflects it. Results in July and August rarely define a season, but they do shape belief. Spurs are starting to look like a team that knows what it wants to be.

The tour ended with a jolt of adrenaline. A dramatic 2-1 win over Chelsea, sealed with virtually the last kick of the game by Richarlison, turned a solid pre-season into a statement one. Down to 10 men after Kevin Danso’s red card, Spurs were forced to defend, suffer, and then strike. They did all three.

That moment matters. A late winner against a London rival, on the other side of the world, with bodies tiring and a man short, is exactly the kind of episode managers remember when they talk about “building character”. De Zerbi will have filed it away as proof his players can live with his demands under stress.

Today is different. No cameras. No fanfare. Just a controlled environment where De Zerbi can probe the weak spots he has already identified.

Spurs are “gearing up nicely” for the new campaign, but the Italian knows the gloss of pre-season can be deceptive. There are still patterns to sharpen, roles to clarify, and decisions to make before they walk out at Brentford in two weeks’ time. The Getafe exercise is part laboratory, part dress rehearsal.

He will want sharper pressing triggers, cleaner progression from the back, and more clarity in how his side manage games when they lose a player, as they did with Danso. The red card in that Chelsea win was a warning as much as a complication. Discipline, game management, and defensive structure with 10 men will all be on his checklist.

For the players, this is an audition without the noise. For De Zerbi, it is one more step in turning a promising pre-season into a team ready to handle the real thing when the Premier League finally arrives at Brentford.