Tottenham Pre-Season: De Zerbi's Focus on Fluency and Fitness

Tottenham are back at Hotspur Way this afternoon, out of sight but very much under scrutiny, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side continue their pre-season against LaLiga visitors Getafe.

No crowd, no fanfare, just a Premier League club trying to sharpen the edges before the serious business starts.

From Down Under drama to training-ground graft

Spurs have just returned from a productive swing through New Zealand and Australia, a tour that ended with a jolt of adrenaline: a 2-1 win over Chelsea sealed with virtually the last kick of the game. Richarlison’s late strike, after Kevin Danso had been sent off, turned a useful friendly into a statement of resolve.

That result stretched Tottenham’s unbeaten pre-season run to four games. Today, they chase a fifth without defeat, but the mood now is less about spectacle and more about detail. With Brentford away looming in two weeks, De Zerbi wants rhythm, relationships and answers.

Progress, but problems

Spurs look further along than they were at this stage last summer. The patterns are clearer, the pressing sharper. Yet the injury list keeps tugging at the manager’s sleeve.

Destiny Udogie has not kicked a ball in pre-season. James Maddison has also been missing and is in a race against time to make Brentford, hampered by a hip problem that has forced De Zerbi to hold him back. Micky van de Ven, on the verge of signing a new contract, has not featured since returning from the World Cup.

Dominic Solanke, a big piece of the attacking puzzle, only tasted his first minutes of the summer against Chelsea. De Zerbi wants him fully integrated; the clock is ticking.

The Italian knows exactly what happens when you gamble on fitness. Last season’s campaign unravelled largely under the weight of injuries. He is not about to repeat that mistake.

Kudus and Kulusevski step back into view

There has at least been one uplifting sight at Hotspur Way this week. Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski, both long-term absentees, were captured running together in training, a reminder of the quality waiting in the wings.

Kudus has been out since January with a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has not played for over a year after suffering a patella problem in May 2025. The Swedish playmaker remains on an ultra-cautious programme; he is not yet in full team training and is still some distance from a competitive return.

Kudus is closer. He is back with the main group, edging towards full fitness, though it remains unlikely he will be risked against Getafe. Spurs have learned to resist the temptation to rush.

Fernandes back in the frame

One player De Zerbi can turn to today is Mateus Fernandes. The £85million signing has shaken off the calf issue that kept him out of the last two games and is in contention to feature.

His presence changes the dynamic of Tottenham’s midfield. The manager will want him on the pitch, feeling the tempo and building an understanding with Sandro Tonali and the rest of the core that is expected to start the Premier League opener.

With a predicted XI of Kinsky; Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali; Williams-Barnett, Gallagher, Tel; Solanke, this is no scratch side. It is, in many areas, close to what De Zerbi hopes to unleash at Brentford.

Quiet test, loud implications

Behind closed doors or not, Getafe represent a useful benchmark. A rugged LaLiga outfit on the training pitches at Hotspur Way will ask questions of Tottenham’s build-up, their defensive structure, their ability to control a game without the emotional surge of a stadium crowd.

After today, the schedule tightens. A double-header against Bundesliga club Hoffenheim awaits next weekend, then the curtain goes up on the Premier League season.

De Zerbi will not care how many watch this one on SPURSPLAY. What matters is who is fit, who is fluent, and whether this evolving Spurs side can carry their summer momentum into a campaign that has to be about more than promise.