Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that James Maddison is available for selection ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Crystal Palace. Maddison has recovered from a knock he sustained during the 2-0 victory over Chelsea.
Team Fitness and Availability Updates
While Maddison is ready to return, Tottenham will still be without Tosin Adarabioyo, Lucas Bergvall, and Mykhailo Mudryk due to ongoing injuries. De Zerbi provided the squad update prior to the fixture, noting that all other members of the team are available.
Addressing Maddison’s training regimen, De Zerbi emphasized the necessity of strong physical commitment for players returning from lengthy layoffs. He noted that Maddison has maintained consistent and hard work over the past four to five weeks.
“James Maddison is available. Tosin is still out, [so are] Bergvall and Mudryk, but everyone else is available,” De Zerbi stated.
“I believe in working. I come from a city, Brescia [where] we are used to working hard and we believe in working in hard you receive the good back,” he added regarding his philosophy on training.
“For James Maddison or any player coming back from injury, [you] have to work more than the other players but he’s already working hard for four, five weeks and consistently.”
Managing Injury Risks in a Big Squad
De Zerbi also addressed the wider physical management of the squad, pointing to previous setbacks involving Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski. The manager stressed that the club must avoid taking unnecessary risks with player fitness.
He explained that missing a few days of training does not present a major issue as long as decisions are made sensibly, aided by the depth of the club’s roster.
“So it’s not a problem if you miss two days and then we have to analyse if we take risks or not,” he explained.
“Because if we take risks like we did with Pedro Porro and [Dejan] Kulusevski… we are lucky to have a big squad [but] it’s [about] not taking risks for new injuries.”
Tottenham prepares to face Crystal Palace following these latest fitness assessments.
