The choice puzzled many supporters from the outset, who couldn’t understand why the Spurs boss chose to keep such a highly-rated performer out of his XI. But once the player did get his chance from the bench, he quickly turned heads on both sides.
Despite his limited minutes, he played with real energy and attacking purpose, giving Brentford’s defence trouble every time he got on the ball. Brentford manager Keith Andrews later gave what amounted to an admission of just how much of a threat the player posed — essentially saying he was thankful the Tottenham man hadn’t started, since his late introduction meant Brentford only had to contain him for a short spell.
That player was Destiny Udogie, and the revelation is only likely to deepen the frustration among Spurs fans who feel the Italian full-back should be a guaranteed starter.
Udogie’s arrival added a new dimension to Tottenham’s attack, his pace and forward drive causing real problems for Brentford. He finished the match with a 6.7 rating, but the numbers didn’t fully capture the impact he had, particularly his eagerness to get forward and support the attack.
Andrews’ remarks have poured more fuel on the fire over De Zerbi’s team selection, with plenty of Tottenham fans taking to social media to ask why Udogie wasn’t trusted from kickoff given what he showed after coming on. The logic seems simple to supporters: if even the opposition manager was relieved Udogie started on the bench, why did De Zerbi hold him back so long?
The Italian coach is now likely to face growing pressure to rethink his approach for Tottenham’s next match. Should Udogie keep making this kind of impact whenever he’s given the chance, De Zerbi may find it harder and harder to justify leaving him out from the start.
The message from the fanbase is simple — they want to see one of their most influential players starting matches, not coming off the bench to fix them.
