De Zerbi says ‘big potential’ Tottenham youngster is working tirelessly in training
Tottenham are looking to give themselves a much stronger platform before January as their season begins to stir.
Crystal Palace visit on Saturday evening, with Roberto De Zerbi‘s side chasing the sort of winning run their supporters have almost forgotten how to enjoy.
Spurs can actually make it three successive Premier League victories for the first time since February 2025.
Last weekend’s 2-0 win at Chelsea followed a 3-1 home success against Coventry, and after such a frustrating start, Tottenham finally have something to build on.
They are still only 14th, though, so there is little room for anyone to start feeling comfortable, and Palace arrive with problems of their own.
Pierre Sage has been under scrutiny after a miserable league run, with rumours he could be sacked, including heavy punishment at Brighton and a home defeat against Newcastle.
|
Date |
Home team |
Score |
Away team |
Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 March 2026 |
Tottenham |
1–3 |
Crystal Palace |
Premier League |
|
28 December 2025 |
Crystal Palace |
0–1 |
Tottenham |
Premier League |
|
11 May 2025 |
Tottenham |
0–2 |
Crystal Palace |
Premier League |
|
27 October 2024 |
Crystal Palace |
1–0 |
Tottenham |
Premier League |
|
2 March 2024 |
Tottenham |
3–1 |
Crystal Palace |
Premier League |
|
27 October 2023 |
Crystal Palace |
1–2 |
Tottenham |
Premier League |
|
6 May 2023 |
Tottenham |
1–0 |
Crystal Palace |
Premier League |
|
4 January 2023 |
Crystal Palace |
0–4 |
Tottenham |
Premier League |
|
26 December 2021 |
Tottenham |
3–0 |
Crystal Palace |
Premier League |
|
11 September 2021 |
Crystal Palace |
3–0 |
Tottenham |
Premier League |
Wednesday’s cup victory at Fulham gave the visitors a lift, and Eddie Nketiah’s goal took them into the quarter-finals, providing a reminder that a struggling league side can still make life awkward.
Spurs also need no reminder of Palace’s threat in this fixture, as the Eagles won 3-1 on their last visit, back in March.
There is encouraging news for De Zerbi on selection, as James Maddison is available after his fitness scare at Chelsea, while Destiny Udogie can return following two matches out.
Rodrigo Bentancur must complete his suspension, and Lucas Bergvall, Tosin and Savio remain unavailable. That leaves the manager with decisions to make as he tries to preserve the balance behind Tottenham’s recent results.
The demand now is consistency.
Beating Chelsea earned the celebrations; backing it up against Palace would give those celebrations a little more substance.
One player giving De Zerbi particular encouragement is Mathys Tel, whose brilliant late goal at Stamford Bridge sealed the points.
Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi hails Mathys Tel as Palace test looms
The 21-year-old youngster collected possession in his own half, drove forward and finished low after creating the opening himself, and it was the sort of moment that can change how a young attacker feels about his season.
Asked about Tel before the Palace game, De Zerbi said:
“I’m proud and happy but first of all for him because I love working for the players, to improve the players.
“I lost in my career many chances to become a better player. A focus of my job is to work on the improvement of the players. Mathys is working very hard. He’s a smart guy with big potential. I am here to help my players.”
Tel has already had difficult spells, including being left outside the matchday squad, and De Zerbi acknowledged those moments on Friday while stressing that the forward had remained supported by his colleagues and coaches.
De Zerbi also identified the final decision as an area Tel can sharpen.
Interestingly, the Italian’s praise of Tel echoes a recent report from The Athletic, which claimed that Tel and De Zerbi have built a positive rapport behind-the-scenes, and how the player has been doing additional one-to-one training sessions with specialists.
