During Igor Tudor’s first press conference in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, he was asked if he knew what the term Spursy meant. While he wasn’t aware in that moment, he left north London behind certainly clear on what it did mean.
Roberto De Zerbi also now knows what it means. While the Lilywhites survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last term, they are now 19th in the Premier League.
Still, despite all of that, there are positives, even though Rodrigo Bentancur threatened to derail all of the progress they had made against Manchester United.
De Zerbi coached a win here but did not get it. In the end, though, he will have been happy with a point after Bentancur’s ridiculous red card for putting his head in Luke Shaw’s face.
It leaves the Italian with a debate: who should get minutes while he sits on the sidelines? Here are three options.
The obvious replacement
In truth, Bentancur had been one of Tottenham’s best players this season prior to that moment of madness at Old Trafford. Thus, it may have come as a surprise to see him on the bench last Saturday.
In his stead came Lucas Bergvall. The Swede has plenty of potential, notably compared to Luka Modric for his lovely first touch. Yet, that’s about as far as the comparison goes for now.
Just 20 years of age, there was a fear that the midfielder would leave over the summer following the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Yet, his display last weekend showed there is a future for him in the capital after all.
Bergvall’s performance split opinion but it was good enough to suggest he should be starting in the middle of the park again when they face Coventry City next Monday.
The man on the fringes
This surely feels like the opportune moment to get Fernandes in his best position.
Signed for £85m over the summer, there was great expectation for the Portuguese, but he has so far not lived up to his potential. He’s like Bergvall in that regard.
Yet, the problem arguably isn’t the player; it’s the manager.
The 22-year-old has played most of his minutes out of position as an attacking midfielder. It’s a confusing decision and one that is unlikely to be taken many more times in the future.
The former West Ham United man was hauled off at half-time in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa prior to the international break, with De Zerbi admitting post-game that he “did not like the performance of Fernandes.” It was damning and doesn’t bode well for future involvement.
Yet, with Bentancur out, surely Tottenham must look towards their big-money summer signing. Next to Tonali, he could shine.
The kid in the academy
While Tottenham may well be at the wrong end of the table, one of the biggest positives is that their depth is now a lot stronger.
The fact De Zerbi could choose from the likes of Conor Gallagher, James Maddison, Tonali, Fernandes and Bergvall in that position speaks volumes.
However, as much as this is an ideal time to give more minutes to Fernandes, it feels like the perfect time to bring Luca Williams-Barnett back into the first team picture.
The 18-year-old is undeniably the best player in the academy right now. He scored 16 goals in 19 youth team games last season and is at it again this term. The teenager has played a solitary Premier League 2 game but he scored and assisted in that one.
He’s a mighty fine talent but has only ever appeared in two competitive games for the senior side. Remarkably, he’s only been on the bench once in the Premier League this term.
That needs to change ASAP, particularly with Bentancur now ruled out.
Williams-Barnett is a forward by trade. He played two games on the flank last term, once as a centre-forward and 11 times as the number 10.
However, as he showed for the U21s and during pre-season for the first team, he’s also capable of playing in a deeper role. That’s why he could benefit from Bentancur’s absence.
In 2025/26, the youngster played five times in central midfield, scoring a ridiculous eight goals in the process. So, he knows how to crash the box.
That said, he’s not just about getting as close to the penalty area as possible. During a game with MK Dons in pre-season, there were elements of Mousa Dembele in his play.
|
Williams-Barnett vs MK Dons |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
45 |
|
Touches |
33 |
|
Accurate passes |
20/22 (91%) |
|
Key passes |
3 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2/6 |
|
Carries |
14 |
|
Duels won |
3/8 |
In that clash, he played in a deeper-lying role and made an almighty impact. He created three chances, including one sweeping diagonal pass from distance that found Yang Min-hyeok.
In true Dembele-esque fashion, he also attempted six dribbles, completing two. Like the great Belgian, Williams-Barnett is exceptional at carrying the ball; his press resistance is already first-class.
Watching the way he took the ball past the MK Dons players in that game was a joy to watch. It really was like rolling back the years to Dembele.
That’s a big comparison to make, but this young academy graduate has long been seen as Tottenham’s answer to Max Dowman; he looks like a generational talent.
