Tottenham Hotspur finally got their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Coventry City, but Roberto De Zerbi’s team selection offered plenty of talking points beyond the result itself.1. Roberto De Zerbi kept quiet about Destiny Udogie’s injuryDestiny Udogie started Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Man United last weekend and was one of Spurs’ better performers on the evening. It was only his second start of the season, due to fitness issues – something that has followed the Italian since his arrival in 2023. Therefore, Supporters were understandably pleased to see their starting left-back back finally fit.However, when the line-ups were announced against Coventry, Udogie’s name was nowhere to be seen. De Zerbi soon clarified that the defender had picked up a knee issue during the United game, explaining his absence and making it clear that no risks would be taken.What was rather odd, though, was that the Spurs head coach made no mention of Udogie when asked about team news in his pre-match press conference the day before, despite already being aware of the problem. Mind games, we see!That said, with a crucial London derby against Chelsea coming up, De Zerbi will be desperate to have Udogie available again, given his alternative, Andy Robertson, picked up a hamstring injury against Coventry.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram2. Luca Williams-Barnett and Callum Olusesi make the Tottenham benchOne of the big talking points after the draw against Manchester United was Luca Williams-Barnett’s omission from the matchday squad. That came despite De Zerbi revealing the previous day that he had been ‘thinking’ about handing the teenager his Premier League debut.The decision attracted scrutiny from supporters and people within the game, particularly because the 18-year-old had also been missing out on Under-21 matches while receiving no minutes with the senior side. There were concerns that this was doing little to help his development.Williams-Barnett was at least included in the squad against Coventry, although he did not make it off the bench. Given that Spurs were protecting a one-goal lead until Ben Davies scored in the final minute of stoppage time, and Coventry were beginning to look threatening, it is easy to understand why De Zerbi was reluctant to take any risks. His fellow Spurs academy graduate Callum Olusesi also made the bench, and his inclusion appeared more about filling the available spots. Hopefully, once Tottenham become a little less shaky towards the end of games, we will see De Zerbi give some of these youngsters a chance.3. Dejan Kulusevski is finally back in a Tottenham shirtThis is definitely not something anyone who watched the game would have missed, but Dejan Kulusevski’s return was still one of the biggest moments of the evening. The Sweden international made his first appearance in 526 days, coming on with just three minutes remaining.The introduction was not originally planned, but De Zerbi ultimately decided to bring him on to lift the mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And lift it he certainly did. Kulusevski received a standing ovation as he entered the pitch, followed by loud cheers for his first two touches. Neither the player nor the supporters will forget that welcome in a hurry.As for his actual performance, the 26-year-old found himself in a few promising positions and generally made sensible decisions during his brief cameo. If he can stay fit and gradually build up his minutes, Kulusevski would undoubtedly be indispensable to De Zerbi as the season progresses.4. Tosin Adarabioyo’s aerial presence won out over Marcos Senesi’s passingTosin Adarabioyo was handed a surprise Premier League start for Tottenham, having played just four minutes in the competition all season. The summer signing did little wrong, went on about his business quietly and did the job required of him well.There was, however, a fairly obvious reason why the 6″6 centre-back was preferred to Marcos Senesi, who had started against Manchester United and had impressed on the ball. Coventry are pretty strong when it comes to long balls – they rank fifth in the Premier League for accurate long balls per match (26) – and De Zerbi clearly wanted the added aerial presence of Adarabioyo against Frank Lampard’s side, which certainly turned out to be a good decision.The visitors completed 30 accurate long balls against Tottenham, who had managed only 11. Adarabioyo and the Spurs defence dealt with that threat well. 5. Tottenham still lack a striker to bring on for the final 15 minutesBefore the season began, De Zerbi explained that he ideally wanted two players for every position.Tottenham have Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush as their main centre-forward options, but what happens when both are needed in the same starting XI, as they were against Coventry, with Marmoush operating on the left and Solanke leading the line?That is where De Zerbi’s decision to leave Richarlison out of his Premier League squad could come back to haunt him. Solanke played the full 90 minutes against Coventry, making it the second consecutive game in which he has had to do so. Part of the problem is that Spurs do not have an obvious alternative to bring on when their striker begins to tire.Having another recognised centre-forward available would give De Zerbi more flexibility in the closing stages, particularly when Tottenham need fresh legs in the box. Richarlison is perhaps one of the best examples of the type of player who can make a difference late in games, given his knack for popping up with important goals.READ MORE: Three winners and three losers from Tottenham’s first Premier League win of the season – Spurs WebThe post Five things we noticed about De Zerbi’s Tottenham squad choice vs Coventry that you may have missed appeared first on Spurs Web.