Last weekend we finally saw signs of life from Tottenham Hotspur.
Still, it would not have been Tottenham without something a little bit Spursy happening. Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card threatened to derail what had been a strong performance from the Lilywhites.
Alas, courtesy of Dominic Solanke, Roberto De Zerbi’s side rescued a point to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table.
They now face a clash against newly promoted Coventry City, a team they have not met in the league for over 20 years.
What happened when Spurs last played Coventry
The last time Spurs played Coventry was actually in the League Cup third round back in September 2024.
Ange Postecoglou was the manager on that day, and he managed to steer his side to a 2-1 victory, albeit the goals came in the 88th and 92nd minutes from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson, two players no longer at the club.
You have to go back to March 2001 for the last time Spurs met the Sky Blues in the Premier League.
The team that day saw the likes of Sol Campbell, Ledley King and Neil Sullivan help their team to a 3-0 win at White Hart Lane. The goals came courtesy of Steffen Iversen, Les Ferdinand and Sergei Rebrov.
Well, it is safe to say things look a lot different now. Tottenham have a swanky new stadium and, like Coventry, are a relegation-threatened team themselves.
That said, both sides come into this modern-era clash with more confidence than their league placing suggests. Frank Lampard’s side have just beaten Newcastle 4-1 and Tottenham’s display vs Man United was arguably their best of the season to date.
For Spurs, they should consider making a few changes, with Mateus Fernandes, in particular, due a game in midfield.
Why Fernandes must come into the team
Signed for £85m in the summer, much was expected from Fernandes, even if he is a 22-year-old who had just been relegated with West Ham.
Yet, despite that, he was regarded as one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League, celebrated as something of a Declan Rice clone for his ability to eat up ground, break up play and contribute in the final third.
Sadly for supporters, they are yet to see the best of the Portuguese at Spurs.
Why is that? Well, it certainly hasn’t helped that De Zerbi has played the former West Ham man out of position.
Fernandes has featured as an attacking midfielder in all three of his league starts this season, which has not helped him adapt to De Zerbi’s system at all.
So poor has he been from that advanced role that the manager withdrew him at half-time in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa prior to the international break.
Remarking after the game, De Zerbi said that he “did not like the performance of Fernandes”. He was on the bench as a result for last weekend’s game with United.
But he must now come into the team. Rodrigo Bentancur did not start last weekend anyway, but with the Uruguayan suspended it does open up a vacancy.
We are yet to see Sandro Tonali and Fernandes play as a double pivot. For two talents who cost Tottenham £185m, it’s a bit of a perplexing situation.
So, when they face Coventry at home, a game where they are expected to have a lot of the ball, those two must start together as a pairing for the first time.
Who Fernandes should start ahead of
If Fernandes is to start on Monday night, there are only two changes De Zerbi could make.
One of them could be to remove Conor Gallagher from the lineup after he started against United in a more advanced role. Gallagher, however, has this hustle and bustle about him that managers love. He’s a big game player, someone you can rely on to deliver a consistent level of performance. He’ll run himself into the ground, too.
As a result, you can likely expect the former Chelsea midfielder to start from that role again when Coventry come to town.
That makes even more sense when you consider Tottenham are going to have to make an enforced change. Indeed, speaking in his pre-game press conference on Sunday, De Zerbi revealed that Lucas Bergvall would have to come out of the side. He’s set to miss the next two weeks with a knee problem.
As it happens, he’s actually started ahead of Fernandes on two occasions this term, firstly at Brentford on the opening weekend of the campaign and then against United last time out. Has it gone well? He’s been inconsistent, that’s for sure.
Bergvall was linked with an exit over the summer and it was perhaps a surprise to see him stay, considering Tonali and Fernandes had signed.
Yet, the young Swede has his bright spots, notably his technical quality. While fans want to see more goals and assists from this promising player, his technical quality is lovely. The Athletic’s JJ Bull has previously even suggested that he has a “first touch like Luka Modric”. That’s fine praise indeed.
However, because of that, more is expected from the midfielder. He’s tidy; he’s neat in possession. Last weekend the 20-year-old played 66 minutes at Old Trafford and completed 87% of his passes.
Yet he lacked bite, bite Fernandes would offer from central areas if he started ahead of Bergvall. He only won three of his eight ground duels and completed a solitary dribble.
So, with Bentancur unable to come into the team and Bergvall now injured, it is surely time for Tottenham’s big summer arrival to play in his favoured position. It’s safe to say he’ll be rather frustrated with the manager if others continue to start ahead of him in a deeper-lying role.
