Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Tosin Adarabioyo is fit for Tottenham’s trip to Leeds United, though Savio, Lucas Bergvall and Mykhailo Mudryk remain sidelined. Spurs head to Elland Road for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off hoping to extend their winning run to four league games before the international break.
Tosin rejoined the group in training on Thursday, and Rodrigo Bentancur is also available again after serving a three-match ban for his red card in the 1-1 draw at Manchester United. Xavi Simons is still working his way back from his long-term injury.
Despite wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, De Zerbi is staying level-headed. He says the team has many targets but isn’t yet good enough to look beyond the next game. He believes something special is being built, pointing to the dressing-room atmosphere, a clear playing style and clear improvement since the season began three weeks ago.
De Zerbi sees the United draw as the turning point, saying Spurs were playing well before it but not as a team. Now, he says, the players think, play and help each other as one unit, and their qualities are showing on the pitch. He is happier about that change in mindset than about the results. He also revealed that the day before the United game, players and staff held a family-style meeting where everyone spoke honestly about the problems and how to fix them.
Meanwhile, Xavi’s recovery from his serious knee injury is progressing well. He suffered the ACL damage in April in a 1-0 win at Wolves, and is due back in first-team training at the end of November, after the international break. ACL recoveries usually take around nine months, but the Netherlands international has been ahead of schedule. A return to contact training at the seven-month mark could mean competitive action several weeks before the end of January.
Once fit, the £52million signing will compete with James Maddison for the number 10 role and look to improve on an inconsistent first season in which he scored five goals in 41 appearances. He impressed against Brentford, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund but played under three different head coaches. Maddison, back from his own ACL injury, made his first Spurs start in 536 days last month and scored in the 3-1 win over Coventry that began the current three-match winning streak.
