Tottenham’s “Poch-era Dele Alli” will be finished after Kulusevski’s return

No one likes excuses, but injuries have no doubt been a factor in Tottenham Hotspur’s recent woes. It would be wrong to suggest otherwise.

Look to Monday night, for instance, with James Maddison making his first start for the club in 536 days, stretching back to Ange Postecoglou’s time at the helm.

As for Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, the Swede made an emotional return to action in the latter stages of that 3-1 win over Coventry City, his last outing of any description having come 526 days earlier.

Let’s face it, any side would suffer without arguably their best player.

Why Kulusevski return is such a coup for Spurs & De Zerbi

The 26-year-old certainly won’t be rushed straight into the starting lineup, with caution needed amid the injury hell that he has endured over the last 18 months or so.

That said, his late cameo appearance against Frank Lampard’s men did provide a glimpse of what the Lilywhites have been missing, with supporters no doubt eager to see him back fit and firing again on a consistent basis.

Indeed, Kulusevski led the charge at one stage in the dying embers, bursting forward on the counter-attack, before supplying a fine dinked cross to the back post on his weaker foot.

The speed at which he broke clear really was breathtaking, with that the type of zip and energy that this Tottenham forward line has long been crying out for.

Once part of an exciting attacking trio alongside Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, Kulusevski really stepped up amid Kane’s departure in 2023, looking particularly sharp at the start of 2024/25.

Speaking at the time, Glenn Hoddle even suggested that the former Juventus man was the club’s best player “by a mile”, with the versatile playmaker flourishing in a number ten role.

While he has regularly featured off the right flank, perhaps his long-term future is set to lie in the centre under De Zerbi, ensuring it might be the end of the road for one member of the current squad.

Why Spurs’ “Poch-era Dele” could be finished after Kulusevski return

It may have only been newly-promoted Coventry, but Monday felt like a potential turning point for Spurs this season.

Not only did they manage to kick on again after being pegged back by Jack Rudoni, but there were so many key moments to celebrate across the park.

Indeed, Maddison’s stunning opener really did set the tone for what was to follow, while Omar Marmoush also got off the mark in style to spark hope of what he can deliver in north London.

The sight of Kulusevski back in action arguably topped it all, however, this a man who notably boasts a record of 55 goals and assists in 147 games for the club to date.

The only question now will be how to get the best out of him once the Swede is available to feature from the start, with a central role arguably the area where he can wreak the most havoc.

Quite what that means for the likes of Conor Gallagher remains to be seen, however, the Englishman regularly deployed in a more advanced midfield berth under De Zerbi thus far, as he did away at Old Trafford.

Gallagher, signed on a £35m deal from Atletico Madrid back in January, certainly has his merits out of possession, the one-time Chelsea man bringing real athleticism and dynamism to Tottenham’s midfield unit.

The form he showed back at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino was encouraging too, having even been hailed as looking like a “Poch-era Dele Alli” by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke.

De Zerbi did point to Gallagher’s Chelsea displays when taking charge earlier this year, although it’s fair to say that for all his endeavour, the midfielder does still split opinion at N17.

You can’t fault Gallagher’s work ethic, yet his lack of technical quality and end product really does stand out when deployed behind the striker, having scored and assisted just three league goals since returning to England.

He’s also created just one ‘big chance’ in that time, while as for this season so far, Gallagher notably averages just 0.2 key passes and zero successful dribbles per game.

For context, while it’s been a long time since Kulusevski was at his rampant best, the left-footer notably dazzled in that 2024/25 season, scoring and assisting 11 top-flight goals, while also creating nine ‘big chances’.

Equally too, he also averaged 2.1 key passes per game and 1.2 successful dribbles per game, a far superior return to what Gallagher is currently offering.

Of course, that record was bolstered by Kulusevski’s regular stints on the right flank, but when operating as a number ten, he really does look at home, having tipped to become “an £80m or £100m player” in the past by Gary Neville.

First and foremost, he needs to just get up to speed, although if Kulusevski can slot back in nicely in the middle, it could leave Gallagher looking a little redundant in this Spurs squad.