Roberto De Zerbi had some positives to take from Tottenham’s Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Liverpool.
It has been a disastrous start to the season for Tottenham Hotspur, who sit 17th in the Premier League table after spending more than £350m.
There were promising signs against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup third round, as Roberto De Zerbi’s men scored their first goal against Premier League opposition of the campaign. However, they still ended up getting eliminated from the competition after losing 3-1 to the Reds.
In reality, Spurs had the best of chances between the two teams. Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus squandered glorious chances in the first half, while Liverpool’s second goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili produced a couple of cracking saves after the break. Tottenham took 17 shots but could only find the back of the net when Conor Gallagher planted a free header after Mamardashvili misjudged the flight of the ball from Mateus Fernandes’ corner kick.
Martin Kelly names two Tottenham players who would be key against Aston Villa
In the Premier League, Spurs are still waiting for their first goal after four matches, having recorded two goalless draws following defeats to Brentford and Newcastle United in their opening two fixtures. In truth, De Zerbi’s side have been creating chances in the final third but have not been clinical enough to convert draws into wins.
Tottenham must quickly lick their wounds and get ready for the weekend’s Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at home. Former Premier League defender Martin Kelly has named English duo James Maddison and Dominic Solanke as key players to help the Lilywhites beat Aston Villa. He has urged De Zerbi to start Dominic Solanke up top, whilst explaining the importance of having James Maddison in midfield.
“They were creating in the final third, but that last little bit of spark, that comes with games, that comes with the players in the front three playing with each other,” Martin Kelly said on LFC TV.
“That comes with an out-and-out striker, by the way.
“I think James Maddison came on and gave them even more threat. I think he’ll be key to their sort of forward play.
“I think they’ve got to get Solanke fit, they’ve got to get an out-and-out striker playing up front if they want to have any chance of starting to get some sort of momentum going into that massive game at the weekend against Villa.”
Solanke likely to start vs. Aston Villa, Maddison on the bench again
De Zerbi and his coaching staff have been managing the 29yo Solanke’s fitness at the start of the season after his injury horrors of the previous term. The England international came on in the 84th minute against Liverpool to add more threat and presence in the box, although he couldn’t really do much. With Aston Villa struggling defensively, De Zerbi may finally hand Solanke his first league start on Saturday.
The same cannot be said about Maddison. The 29-year-old was one of the bright spots of the game at Anfield. He came on as a substitute and immediately made his presence felt. With the England international on the pitch, Tottenham looked a different outfit in attack. If the forwards had been on his wavelength, Maddison would have gotten an assist.
However, Madders is still not fully fit to be trusted to start a game after last year’s ACL rupture. And he has only returned from a shoulder problem that sidelined him for three games this season, so we expect the Coventry-born playmaker to get minutes off the bench again.
