Andy Robertson was signed by Tottenham this summer.
Tottenham Hotspur has had quite some dilemma for that left-back role in the past seasons. While Destiny Udogie was always the undisputed number one in the left full-back role, his injury problems meant he used to end up watching most of the games from the stands rather than playing them.
This is where Djed Spence smelled his opportunity and ended up carving himself a chance for regular minutes donning the Spurs badge.
Djed Spence and how he carved his role at left back
Spence is predominantly a right back who was only filling in on the left. But this experiment went a step beyond, given how he took no time to impress in that left-back role. He started not only being a potent defender but also taking his moments going forward.
While many doubted his abilities, Thomas Tuchel knows exactly what Spence is capable of and more. This is where the former Middlesbrough defender earned himself an opportunity to represent the Three Lions in the recently concluded World Cup in the United States.
Many English fans doubted and were quick to meme on Spence being called up for England, but the 25-year-old took no time to start showing his abilities for Tuchel & Co.
He not only went on to bench Nico O’Reilly throughout the tournament but was also by far one of the better players for England throughout the World Cup. He not only showed his abilities at the back but also demonstrated how lethal he can be when going forward.
But that being said, many reports are suggesting that Tottenham can bank on his recent upside and sell him for a hefty fee. This has been seconded by interest from the likes of Everton, who are willing to pay the asking price for Spence.
Now going into the new season, irrespective of whether Tottenham are to keep Djed Spence or move him to the right-back role, the North Londoners have Destiny Udogie coming back, expectedly in full fitness when the new season commences.
Destiny Udogie continues to struggle with injuries
Udogie has been managed going into the preseason as Roberto De Zerbi & Co. manage him over long-term hamstring and tissue problems. But many would expect him to be fit when it is time for Spurs to leave it against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
And ideally Udogie also works well with how Roberto De Zerbi likes his fullbacks (at least on paper).
He can not only run end to end but is also quite potent in attacking by holding width as well as by cutting in when given the space. He is also good at tracking back and recovering after losing the ball. And given that both come from the same nation, Udogie would have been licking his lips when Tottenham brought in Roberto De Zerbi at N17 last season.
But that wouldn’t have lasted long, as Tottenham brought in Andy Robertson from Liverpool on a free transfer. Andy knows all about playing at the top, all about the margins that win or lose you a game. And at the time of the transfer concluding, many thought he would come in and deputize for Udogie given the massive potential that the 23-year-old has.
Though when Andy donned the Spurs badge for the first time, he made it clear that he is not here to play second fiddle to anyone but rather here to compete for the starting position.
Andy Robertson had an impressive Tottenham debut vs Sydney FC
The former Liverpool star got his first set of minutes when Roberto De Zerbi introduced him as a substitute for the final 25 minutes against Sydney FC yesterday. And in that time, he ended up creating two big chances for the Lilywhites with his trademark first-time balls into the box.
Andy was unlucky to get a grab assist or perhaps two. Spurs starlet Yang Min-hyeok couldn’t convert both of the chances.
That cameo alone was enough to have the Tottenham fanbase talking about him. Even at thirty-two, Robertson showed that he still has more than enough left in the tank to be a genuine week-in-week-out option going into the next season (rather than a squad player brought in to make up the numbers).
Why Andy Robertson could threaten Udogie’s Tottenham left back starting spot
If we think about it from Udogie’s point of view, the Italian international has long been considered undroppable when fit. But that is the thing; that “when fit” has been becoming more and more inconsistent over the past couple of campaigns.
Roberto De Zerbi, standing on his touchline watching that performance from Robertson, would be aware that he now has two senior left backs on his roster, with both of them ticking the boxes of what he wants from the position, and neither of them looks like a player who will simply be content to have the bench role.
The thing about Robertson and his stake to start for Tottenham is his experience of playing exactly the kind of football that De Zerbi wants to deploy at N17. The 32-year-old has spent the best part of the last decade playing under Jurgen Klopp and post-Klopp in possession-heavy systems at Anfield, so he gets the overlapping and underlapping sequences on that left flank better than most fullbacks in the English top tier.
His first-time ball still remains a genuine weapon (as we saw against Sydney FC). And how he reads the game off the ball means De Zerbi will still have a defensive presence while he accommodates his attacking instincts.
Lastly, there is also the leadership angle that we have to consider when we are speaking about Robertson. He has been the skipper for Scotland for years and was a senior voice in that winning dressing room at L4 during their most successful period under Klopp and Slot. Given that this Lilywhites roster has time and again been accused of lacking that winning mentality that is expected of a traditional big six side, having a serial winner walk through the door on a free transfer while he is still hungry to prove himself can just end up being the best piece of business that Tottenham does this summer.
Of course, let’s be honest, none of this ends up ensuring that Robertson is going to start against Brentford given that Udogie still remains a top talent in his early twenties who has his best years ahead of him.
But that is the thing we have said at Tottenham for a far too long time: competition breeds improvement, and if Robertson continues to perform like this in the remaining pre-season games, then Udogie may find himself having to fight for his minutes in a way he hasn’t had to before at Tottenham.