De Zerbi can drop Solanke by unleashing Spurs star who’s “Defoe-esque”

When a new manager takes over, it’s usually a time of excitement and high hopes. At Tottenham Hotspur, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

Roberto De Zerbi’s first week or so at Spurs was disrupted by the international break, and with the Italian now becoming the club’s third head coach of the season, patience is wearing thin. Why? Because this campaign has been a total shambles.

Spurs may have handed De Zerbi a five-year contract, but they currently sit in the relegation zone, and according to OPTA, face a 46% chance of dropping down to the Championship. That makes them the favorites for the drop compared to West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds.

While Spurs did show some improvement in patches (not that it would have been hard), and were somewhat unlucky at the Stadium of Light on Sunday, De Zerbi has already made questionable calls.

His attacking selection was puzzling, and it’s time for Dominic Solanke to be dropped from the starting XI.

Solanke’s afternoon to forget at Sunderland

When the team sheet was revealed on Sunday, seeing the front three listed as Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani, and Solanke raised eyebrows. It has rarely worked this season, and sure enough, it failed again at the weekend. Spurs carved out chances but ultimately left much to be desired in attack.

While Richarlison buzzed around with energy, Solanke was at the heart of the problems. He looks a shadow of the player Spurs signed from Bournemouth—a shadow of the player who scored that stunning scorpion-kick goal against Manchester City.

He was named in England’s recent international squad, but if he keeps playing like this, his chances of boarding the plane to this summer’s World Cup in America are virtually zero.

Solanke was largely anonymous, earning a 0/10 rating from outspoken pundit Jamie O’Hara. That may seem harsh, but can anyone blame a Spurs supporter for their frustration right now?

The striker’s best opportunity came in the first half when he found space near the left byline, but Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs did well to deny him. That was as good as it got for the 28-year-old, whose influence is fading.

Somehow lasting the full 90 minutes, he finished the match having completed just four passes and registered only 18 touches. He failed to complete a single dribble, missed a big chance, and lost two of his three ground duels.

So, De Zerbi must act quickly.

How De Zerbi could replace Solanke against Brighton

This weekend’s match is massive for Spurs, and with the new boss facing his former club Brighton, there is an extra layer of intrigue.

When the team sheet comes out, Dominic Solanke’s name must not be in the starting lineup. Part of what made Sunday’s attacking trio so surprising was the omission of Mathys Tel.

De Zerbi spoke highly of the Frenchman in his first Spurs press conference, revealing that he had actually wanted to sign him while managing in Ligue 1. “I think we have a lot of very good attackers and we have to help them,” De Zerbi said. “I know Mathys Tel—I wanted him at Marseille when I was there.”

Add to that the fact that Tel has been one of Spurs’ most dangerous attacking players recently, and leaving him on the bench against Sunderland was puzzling.

It’s fair to say the 20-year-old hasn’t exactly enjoyed a prolific season since joining permanently last summer. He has scored only three goals across all competitions and hasn’t found the net in the Premier League since early January.

Still, if there were any positives from the brief Igor Tudor era, they were Archie Gray and Mathys Tel. Under Tudor, Tel completed as many as four dribbles per game against Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Sunderland—3.8 more than his seasonal average.

For a change, he looked genuinely productive. Beyond his ability to play out wide, this “Jermain Defoe-esque” forward—as presenter Ben Bowman has dubbed him—can also operate through the middle.

Whatever position De Zerbi chooses for him, Tel must feature against Brighton, and there’s a strong argument that he should start ahead of the struggling Solanke.