De Zerbi’s Late Fitness Call on Tottenham’s Full-Back Pair
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie are both doubts for Tottenham’s match against Everton, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming neither full-back has been ruled out but both will be assessed before kick-off. Nobody’s calling this a crisis yet. But losing your first-choice pairing at both full-back spots in the same team update is the kind of thing that makes you check the fixture list twice.
According to Tottenham’s official team-news update, De Zerbi said Porro had felt a small muscular problem and that he didn’t want to take any risks with either him or Udogie. The manager tied the caution to specific context rather than fresh alarm: Porro is still carrying the load of a long World Cup campaign, and Udogie is coming off a season blighted by his own injury problems, having played just 60 minutes against Nottingham Forest.
A more careful approach, allegedly
Tottenham changed their medical staff last season and appointed Dan Lewindon as Head of Performance, with reports since suggesting a shift toward managing minor issues conservatively rather than pushing players through them. Whether De Zerbi is entirely on board with that philosophy in the moment is another question – he’s been described as occasionally frustrated by the caution, even while broadly supporting it. Spurs fans have heard plenty of promises about improved injury management before, so treat this as a work in progress rather than a solved problem.
Robertson and Gray waiting in the wings
If both are held back, Andy Robertson looks the likely option at left-back and Archie Gray at right-back, though nothing here is confirmed team news. De Zerbi has shown he’s not afraid of a tactical wrinkle – Porro played as a right winger in a recent match, and Micky van de Ven can cover on the left if needed. It’s less about panic and more about not turning a muscular niggle into another stretch on the treatment table, a lesson this squad has learned the hard way before.
What happens before kick-off
Porro and Udogie will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s 5:30pm BST kick-off, with a final call expected close to team news. Porro’s recent return to the matchday squad offers some reassurance, but De Zerbi’s stated priority is protecting both players’ long-term fitness rather than rushing them back for one match.
