Tottenham's Tactical Shift: Managing Key Absences Against Everton
Tottenham fans had barely settled into their seats when the first jolt of the afternoon arrived. The team sheets dropped. No Pedro Porro. No Destiny Udogie. Nowhere in the XI, nowhere on the bench.
For a side still searching for rhythm under Roberto De Zerbi, it was a gut punch.
Both full-backs had started the previous weekend’s goalless stalemate at Nottingham Forest. Both had been expected to feature again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Everton. Their complete omission instantly set tongues wagging around the ground.
The explanation had actually come a day earlier.
De Zerbi plays it safe
Speaking on Friday, De Zerbi had already hinted that he was walking a tightrope with his two attacking full-backs. The Italian made it clear he would not gamble with their fitness.
"Porro felt a small muscular problem, we have to see tomorrow if he’s available or not but in this moment I don’t want to take any risks. The same [with] Udogie," he said.
No spin. No disguise. Just a manager who knows exactly how much his system demands from those positions and how fragile the balance can become when fatigue creeps in.
He pointed to Porro’s workload on the international stage as a key factor. The right-back’s extended run at the World Cup has left a lingering mark.
"Porro and Udogie are similar players because one, Pedro played a World Cup, a long World Cup and we already knew after the World Cup it could be a difficult management for him," De Zerbi explained, underlining how carefully the club has had to monitor his minutes.
On the opposite flank, Udogie’s situation is even more sensitive. Tottenham know his medical file all too well. Last season in North London was repeatedly disrupted by injuries, and the scars of that campaign are still fresh.
"For Udogie, last season [he] suffered many injuries, he played 60 minutes in Nottingham and we have to manage also Destiny in the best way we can," De Zerbi added.
This wasn’t rotation for the sake of it. It was self-preservation for a long season.
Fernandes buys into the project
If the back line carried concern, the midfield carried conviction.
Summer signing Matheus Fernandes has walked into a dressing room under scrutiny and chosen belief over doubt. The £85m midfielder, recruited after a standout spell at West Ham, has not seen a win in Tottenham colours yet. He still talks like a man who can feel something building.
The Portuguese international made it clear that De Zerbi himself was the decisive factor in turning down interest from Manchester United to move across London.
"I believe that I can be a much better player than I was last season," Fernandes said. "If you look at the squad, it's a big team with big players, important players, players with experience, players with a lot of quality. So, when you play with better players, I think you play better. So, I believe that I can be much better."
That is the bet Tottenham have made: elite talent, a demanding coach, and a project that is still in its early sketches rather than its finished painting.
New faces on the flanks
With Porro and Udogie out, the tactical spotlight swung straight to their replacements. Those wide defensive roles are not mere placeholders in a De Zerbi side; they are launchpads.
Archie Gray, still a teenager but already carrying a hefty reputation after his move from Leeds United, was asked to step into the intensity of Premier League wing duels. Versatile, energetic, and tactically sharp, he has been used all over the pitch since arriving. This, though, was different: handle Everton’s physical wide players, hold the line, and still offer an outlet going forward.
On the other side, there was no mystery about what Andy Robertson brings. The former Liverpool man has lived through title races, derbies, and Champions League nights. He knows how to survive when opponents target the flanks.
His brief was clear: mirror as much of Udogie’s influence as possible. That means more than just defending. It means stepping inside to create overloads, timing the overlaps, and driving into the final third with the same aggression Spurs usually get from their young Italian.
The absences of Porro and Udogie stripped some familiarity from Tottenham’s shape. They also handed Gray and Robertson a platform and exposed the thin line De Zerbi must tread between protecting his key men and maintaining the ferocious width his system demands.
Over a long campaign, that balance may decide how far this project actually goes.
