Tottenham's Pre-Season Preparation: Friendly Against Getafe
Tottenham step up their pre-season work on Saturday with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Getafe at Hotspur Way, the next checkpoint in a summer that has quietly gathered momentum.
Roberto De Zerbi’s squad are back in north London after a demanding but productive swing through New Zealand and Australia. Four games unbeaten, confidence nudging upwards, patterns of play starting to bed in. The Premier League opener at Brentford is two weeks away. The margins are getting tighter.
Quiet test, loud questions
There will be no crowd, no fanfare, no television cameras at Hotspur Way. Yet this game arrives with a clear purpose. De Zerbi wants rhythm. He wants relationships. He wants to see how a heavily refreshed squad looks when the tempo rises and the excuses run out.
Tottenham’s tour ended with the sort of jolt managers secretly enjoy in pre-season: late drama, a test of character, and a reminder that standards matter even in July and August. Reduced to 10 men after Kevin Danso’s red card, Spurs still found a way to beat Chelsea 2-1, Richarlison striking with virtually the final kick.
That comeback underlined the growing belief in De Zerbi’s methods. It also masked a reality he cannot ignore: this squad remains short of key bodies.
Injury shadows over a bright summer
The injury list has shaped much of Spurs’ summer. Destiny Udogie and James Maddison have yet to play a single minute in pre-season. Maddison’s hip problem has left him in a race against the clock to be ready for Brentford, a worrying scenario for a side that leans heavily on his creativity between the lines.
Micky van de Ven, close to signing a new contract and central to Tottenham’s defensive identity, has not featured since returning from the World Cup. Dominic Solanke only just tasted his first minutes of the summer against Chelsea, another reminder that the attacking jigsaw is still being assembled.
De Zerbi’s caution is deliberate. Last season’s campaign frayed badly under the weight of injuries, and Tottenham’s hierarchy have not forgotten how quickly a promising year can unravel when key players are pushed too hard, too soon.
So the manager has drawn a line. No unnecessary risks. No short-term gambles that could cost months.
Kudus and Kulusevski: two long roads, one glimmer
The most encouraging images from Hotspur Way this week came away from the main sessions. Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski, long-term absentees, running together on the training pitches. No roar from the stands, just the quiet sound of studs on turf and a sense that two significant stories are inching towards a new chapter.
Kudus has been sidelined since January with a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has endured even longer in the wilderness, out for over a year after suffering a patella injury in May 2025. Both are central to Tottenham’s attacking imagination when fit; both have required patience.
Spurs are treating Kulusevski with particular care after such a lengthy absence. The Swedish playmaker is not yet involved in full team training and remains some distance from a competitive return. Kudus is further along the road, back working with the main group and edging towards full fitness, but he is still unlikely to feature against Getafe. The temptation to rush him back will be resisted.
One player expected to be in the frame is Mateus Fernandes. The £85million signing has returned to training after a calf issue ruled him out of the last two games, and his availability offers De Zerbi another option in the heart of midfield as he looks to sharpen combinations before the real stuff starts.
Building a spine
Pre-season is rarely about the scoreline. For Tottenham, this phase is about building a spine that can withstand the strain of a long campaign and a demanding head coach.
De Zerbi will hope to field something close to a full-strength side on Saturday, or at least a line-up that resembles the core he wants at Brentford. The predicted XI has a clear structure: Kinsky in goal; a back line of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke and Robertson; Fernandes and Tonali anchoring midfield; Williams-Barnett and Gallagher providing legs and energy; Tel supporting Solanke in attack.
It is not the finished article. Maddison, Udogie and Kudus remain doubts. Kulusevski is still a longer-term project. Yet the shape is recognisable, the roles increasingly defined.
The countdown tightens
After Getafe, Spurs will face Hoffenheim in a double-header next weekend, the final tune-up before the Premier League curtain rises away to Brentford. By then, De Zerbi will want fewer questions and more certainties: who partners Van de Ven regularly, how Fernandes dovetails with Tonali, how quickly Solanke settles into his role at the top of the pitch.
Saturday’s friendly kicks off at 3pm BST at Hotspur Way. No points, no table, no immediate judgement.
But with the season just around the corner, the decisions made in this quiet corner of north London could echo long into the autumn.
