Tottenham players who did not perform international duties were given a week off during the 3-week FIFA Days, although coach Roberto De Zerbi continuously complained about the team's fitness issues.
De Zerbi allowed this group of players to rest in the first week of the FIFA Days before returning to the training center next week. The decision was planned in advance, as Tottenham had not yet fallen to the bottom of the Premier League table after a series of disappointing matches.
According to sports science, giving players a week off during the long FIFA Days is considered normal. Tottenham also has no plans to train abroad or play friendly matches during this time.
However, the break time makes De Zerbi's decision a matter of concern. After the defeat to Aston Villa, the Italian strategist continued to emphasize that players need to improve their fitness. He specifically mentioned Dominic Solanke, one of the players who was not called up to the national team.
Solanke along with James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcos Senesi and Savio are in the first week off group. They will return to training next week to prepare for the away match against Manchester United on October 10.
De Zerbi believes that players who do not have to play for the national team need to take advantage of this time to improve their fitness: "We have to train more because their fitness is not guaranteed. Even in the recent match, I am not satisfied.
Regarding Solanke, the Tottenham captain emphasized that this striker needs to improve more to regain his best condition: "We need Solanke to show more. He must continue to improve and find his best feeling again".
Solanke has only scored 3 goals in the Premier League since the beginning of last season and has not met expectations in the role of key striker. De Zerbi still affirms his support for this player, and believes that the current problem is not only in expertise.
Tottenham has not won in their last 5 Premier League matches and is at the bottom of the table after a difficult start to the season. "The Spurs" will have nearly 3 weeks to adjust before returning to play.
While the group of players staying at the club are off, some Tottenham members are still focusing with the national team. Newcomer John Paul van Hecke admits Spurs' start in the Premier League is unacceptable.
We imagined things would be different. The way we played and conceded goals is unacceptable" - Van Hecke shared with Dutch media.
This center-back was particularly disappointed with the first goal conceded against Aston Villa. Tottenham had only 10 players on the field when Micky van de Ven had to leave the field for injury treatment, but Spurs still did not proactively put the ball out to wait for teammates to return.
Tottenham will return to training next week. For De Zerbi, this break is an opportunity to improve his fitness, and at the same time forces Tottenham to quickly find a solution to the series of unexpected results.
