Five Tottenham squad changes we expect De Zerbi to make vs Coventry as Kulusevski returns

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Tottenham Hotspur return to action next Monday when they host Coventry City, nine days after their dramatic draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Roberto De Zerbi has several selection decisions to make ahead of the fixture, and the extended break could give a few players the chance to return to the matchday squad. Here are five changes we think the Italian could make.Credit: @thatfootballphotog / Instagram1. Andy Robertson will return to the Spurs squadAndy Robertson was left out of Tottenham’s matchday squad for the trip to Old Trafford, with De Zerbi explaining that the Scotland captain was one of three players who could be feeling the effects of a lengthy international break. Destiny Udogie took his place in the starting XI, before he too was replaced by Micky Van de Ven later in the game.With nine days between Saturday’s fixture and the visit of Coventry City, Robertson should have enough time to recover and return to contention. However, Udogie put in a strong performance against United, so we do not expect the Italian to immediately lose his place in the starting line-up.Robertson’s return would still be important, though. Having the experienced defender available from the bench would give De Zerbi a natural replacement at left-back, rather than having to move Van de Ven out of his preferred centre-back position if Udogie needs to come off.2. Luca Williams-Barnett will make the Tottenham benchThe 17-year-old academy prospect had been discussed as a potential candidate for a Premier League debut after De Zerbi revealed the previous day that he was ‘thinking’ about giving the youngster an opportunity, but he was surprisingly excluded from the matchday squad.It remains unclear why Williams-Barnett was left out, especially given that there were no U-21 fixtures during or around the match. However, the home game against newly promoted and struggling Coventry could present a better opportunity to involve him, especially if Tottenham are in a comfortable position as the game approaches its closing stages.3. Micky Van de Ven will return to the starting XI as Tottenham captainMicky Van de Ven endured a busy international break, starting all four of the Netherlands’ matches over the three-week period. He also played every minute, barring their final fixture against Serbia, when he was forced off following a nasty wrist injury late on.De Zerbi was understandably reluctant to take any risks with his captain on Saturday’s trip to Manchester, instead bringing him off the bench and deploying him at left-back, where Van de Ven had faced criticism for playing in that position during his international duty.Against Coventry, we expect the Dutchman to return to his usual centre-back role with Marcos Senesi dropping back to the bench after looking slow on a few occasions against United.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram4. Pedro Porro could make the Spurs benchPedro Porro picked up a hamstring injury shortly before the international break, during Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa last month. The injury was expected to keep him out for at least a month, ruling him out of Spain’s first four UEFA Nations League matches and the trip to Manchester United.The Coventry fixture will mark exactly a month since Porro sustained the injury, making his potential return to the matchday squad worth watching – if his recovery has progressed as hoped.A starting appearance would be a much bigger ask, however.5. Dejan Kulusevski could finally return to a Tottenham matchday squadIt has been well over a year since we last saw Dejan Kulusevski play competitive football, but his return may finally be approaching. The Sweden international has made encouraging progress over recent weeks and even featured in an 11-a-side training match at Hotspur Way during the international break.Spurs insider Paul O’Keefe had tipped Kulusevski to return to the matchday squad after the international break, although the winger was left out against Man United, given he was still some way off from being included in the squad. These nine days could prove valuable as he continues to work towards full fitness.Kulusevski still travelled to Old Trafford to support his teammates, and the next step could well be a place on the bench.READ MORE: Five things Roberto De Zerbi will be working on with Tottenham in Marbella – Spurs WebThe post Five Tottenham squad changes we expect De Zerbi to make vs Coventry as Kulusevski returns appeared first on Spurs Web.