Roberto De Zerbi surprised the fans by starting Conor Gallagher ahead of Mateus Fernandes in the No.10 role vs. Nottingham Forest.
Tottenham Hotspur were held to a 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest away from home on Saturday afternoon, continuing their winless start to the 2026/27 season.
After back-to-back defeats to Brentford and Newcastle United, Spurs showed fight, grit, energy and organisation to keep a dangerous Nottingham Forest attack quiet at the City Ground. The 0-0 stalemate at least earned them their first point of the term.
However, Tottenham have still not scored a single top-flight goal in 2026-27, and owing to their failure to find the back of the net on Saturday, they equalled a 52-year unwanted record.
Roberto De Zerbi explains decision to not start Mateus Fernandes vs. Nottingham Forest
It all started with Roberto De Zerbi making some surprising changes to his first XI from the team that was beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United last weekend. It included starting Conor Gallagher in the No.10 role ahead of summer signing Mateus Fernandes.
Mateus Fernandes was one of the rare bright spots against Newcastle at home, acting as a creative glue between midfield and attack. The one-cap Portugal international’s exclusion from the starting XI prompted talk that he may have picked up an injury, with the central midfielder having struggled for fitness since swapping West Ham for Spurs this summer.
De Zerbi, though, admitted after the game that Fernandes was fit and that the decision not to start him was taken as he believed Gallagher would be better suited to the physical demands and tempo of the game.
“I have experience to know enough what is this stadium. This stadium is England football, and Gallagher he knows better this type of game. Mateus will become for sure in my time at Tottenham one of the best players but I’m lucky because I have many good players and I have to find the right first XI,” De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference (h/t Football London).
Tactical mistake made by De Zerbi
While Rodrigo Bentancur and Sandro Tonali provided the balance and stability in the middle of the park, Conor Gallagher suffered a laborious afternoon in front of them. The England international did show energy and tenacity, but he failed to create a chance or have a single shot against the Tricky Trees.
Fernandes was introduced in the 83rd minute, but struggled to impose himself on the game, immediately picking up a yellow card for stopping James McAtee from advancing into the box. The 22-year-old took the fewest touches of any Spurs player on the pitch.
De Zerbi’s bold decision to leave out the former West Ham man at the expense of Gallagher clearly backfired. For a player whom the North London club fought off competition from Manchester United and Liverpool and shelled out a premium for in the summer, excluding Fernandes from the starting lineup was a bizarre tactical decision from our gaffer.
It clearly did not make any sense, especially after the Portuguese midfielder was Tottenham’s standout performer in the defeat to Newcastle. Hopefully, De Zerbi learns from his mistake and at least gets his team selection spot on next time around.
