Mathys Tel was not included in the Tottenham squad against Aston Villa at home.
Tottenham Hotspur succumbed to a 3-2 loss against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Johan Manzambi put the visitors in the lead just before the half-time break, and Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia added to the tally in the second-half. Substitute Mohammed Kudus thought he had equalised before Jackson’s strike, but it was ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
Conor Gallagher’s late effort gave Spurs their first goal of the league campaign, and then Jan Paul van Hecke pulled another back deep into stoppage time. However, it proved too little too late, as Spurs tasted their third defeat of the Premier League campaign.
Roberto De Zerbi explains reason behind Mathys Tel’s omission from the squad vs. Aston Villa
The Tottenham boss had a tough time on the touchline because of his team’s management of the game. After the game, the 47-year-old confessed that he was “sad and frustrated” with the defensive lapses in the defeat to Aston Villa.
One player who wasn’t part of the Tottenham squad on Saturday was Mathys Tel. De Zerbi and Mathys Tel clashed on the pitch at the end of Tottenham’s 0-0 draw with Everton last weekend. The Italian tactician was frustrated with the player’s failure to follow his instructions after coming on as a substitute in the game.
Well, that didn’t hamper his prospects in midweek, with the Frenchman starting in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup third round. However, Tel was nowhere to be found in the matchday squad on Saturday, and De Zerbi has now explained the reasoning behind it.
“Technical decision,” De Zerbi said in his press conference (h/t Hayters).
“He was in the stands because I think during the game, Maddison and Kudus, they had more chances to change the game, and then two centre-backs, important, also the two full-backs, have a look for Pedro Porro, with Archie Grey, and the two central midfielders.
“But I explained why to Mathys yesterday. It was no problem. He was very nice, and he understood the reason, but nothing more, and also he played more than the others.”
Tel has struggled for form in N17, failing to register any goal contributions in four Premier League appearances. Despite some big-money additions in attack, De Zerbi started the season with the Frenchman in his XI. However, after underwhelming displays, he was dropped from the squad entirely against Villa.
Nonetheless, the 21-year-old remains a key part of the squad as it stands and will get plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent as the season progresses.
