Roberto De Zerbi should play the kids to hold Tottenham’s senior stars accountable

Roberto De Zerbi should hand more minutes to some of Tottenham Hotspur‘s brightest young academy talents between now and the end of the season.

When Tottenham need their senior stars to step up and be leaders, they quite simply aren’t doing so.

That was evidenced once again on Sunday, as De Zerbi’s first game in charge as Spurs head coach saw his side beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

It’s now 14 Premier League games without a win for the Lilywhites, which is posing the question to many Tottenham fans, ‘how much longer are certain players going to get in this team?’

Well, with only six games to play, the answer to that question for some of them should simply be, ‘no more’.

Tottenham youngsters would get more out of senior players

Tottenham fans are losing patience with players, with many not buying the words spoken from some of them in post-match interviews when speaking of their hurt as the defeats continue to pile up.

Many of these players know they likely won’t be at N17 next season regardless of what happens; the real pain being felt is by the supporters who’ve had to watch them play all season.

As a result, there are many supporters who would be quite happy if they never have to see certain first-team players never pull their shirt on again, but why wait until the end of the season for that?

Tottenham have a brilliant academy system, and right now, they are in possession of a number of very exciting young players that are on the cusp of breaking into the senior side on a regular basis.

Jun’ai Byfield, Callum Olusesi, Mason Melia, James Wilson, Souza and more: all of these youngsters would fight for the badge and the fans.

By giving them more minutes, De Zerbi would be able to get a closer look at their progression status ahead of next season, give the fans more reason to stay engaged, and it should also get more out of some senior players.

They won’t want to be seen being outworked and outfought by academy players, and seeing a youngster flying into a tackle or running themselves into the ground holds senior stars to a visible standard.

De Zerbi can set an example by handing youngsters more chances

If Tottenham are to go down this season, they have to go fighting, and that’s exactly what playing some of these young players would at least guarantee.

Currently, Spurs are Championship-bound with certain senior players in the side anyway, so if you’re De Zerbi, why not take this opportunity to set a clear example and standard for your reign moving forward.

Dropping senior players and replacing them with academy prospects would draw a definitive line in the sand, and would show that nobody has a divine right to be in the team just because of their transfer fee or the size of their wage packet.

Spurs need warriors. They need players who will fight for the badge. For the fans. For their Premier League status. For the pride and privilege that comes with being a Tottenham player.

Play the kids, De Zerbi. They’d match every single piece of that aforementioned criteria.

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