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Kylian Mbappé sparked debate earlier this year when he was asked what the easiest role in football is.

"In my opinion, it's centre back. You're covered from all sides, you can even play in a back three," he responded.

"It's the only position where you see 40-year-old players still playing in Europe at top clubs. A 40-year-old striker is finished". It's been a bad year for Cristiano Ronaldo's ego.

I'm certainly not going to disagree with General Mbappé, and will instead offer a bit more detail. For me, playing in the middle of a back three is, without question, the ‘easiest‘ role.

Now, there's nothing simple about elite-level football. Even this position is mightily tough to play. However, relative to what's asked of other players on the pitch, I think the man stationed at the heart of the backline generally has it pretty good. Why? Well, as Mbappé says, you're covered on both sides and the whole pitch is ahead of you. You see everything. You rarely need to defend out wide, and there's often a reference point to attach to. With the majority of teams lining up with one centre-forward, your task is clear-cut: shut them down.

Roberto De Zerbi raised eyebrows and turned heads with a drastic tactical switch against Coventry City on Monday night, opting for a back three. And if one summer arrival is to be a success in north London, it'll most likely be because of the Italian's switch.

Tosin Adarabioyo is quickly proving Tottenham supporters wrong

Few were excited about the arrival of Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea as a Kevin Danso replacement. The tall defender had an utterly indifferent time in west London, and many were resentful that he was taking the spot of a universally liked squad member.

However, Danso has endured a mightily tough start to his Sunderland loan, while Tosin has looked assured on his few outings in Lilywhite.

His first Premier League start for the club came on Monday night for the must-win encounter, and the make-up of De Zerbi's starting XI pointed towards a back three. It certainly was a back three in possession, and more of a muddle without the ball. Still, Tosin functioned at the heart of Spurs' defence with two Dutchmen on either side and saw plenty of young Coventry striker Sidiki Cherif.

I've never thought much of Tosin, in truth, but he's pleasantly surprised me so far. From what I've seen, he looks like a good culture guy. That was reinforced on Monday, when he encouraged teammates to join in the celebrations after James Maddison's opening goal. Last week at Old Trafford, he was the first one in the mix as Rodrigo Bentancur and Luke Shaw locked horns.

His performance against Coventry was hardly otherworldly, but stability is all we need. Crucially, he won his headers. Tosin won seven of his eight aerial duels and marshalled the emerging Cherif well. FotMob calculated his top speed to be 33.2 km/h on Monday night, the same as Micky van de Ven's. He's no slouch, and that's perhaps why he was preferred to Marcos Senesi against a dangerous counter-attacking side.

An injury ended his night with 20 minutes to go, but De Zerbi insisted that those who picked up knocks are unlikely to miss much time. I wasn't wholly convinced by the back three in totality, but if it's a system De Zerbi persists with, expect Tosin to reprise his role at the heart of Spurs' defence.

Tottenham Hotspur were able to pull off their first victory of the 2026/27 Premier League season on Monday Night Football, with Omar Marmoush scoring with a great finish into the far corner as Spurs took down newly promoted Coventry 3-1 on Monday Night Football.

Cristiano Ronaldo used to say that goals are like ketchup. The bottle can feel stuck, but after the first drop comes out, the rest flows quite nicely. And Tottenham will be hoping that this will be the case for Marmoush after his finish into the far corner, which should become a trademark for him going forward for Spurs as this goal boosts his confidence.

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi is without Marmoush's old Manchester City teammate Savio, who suffered a muscular injury just before the game against Coventry and was easily Spurs best attacking player beforehand. And yet, Spurs still put three past Coventry, with Dominic Solanke grabbing an assist and Marmoush finding the back of the net for the first time in his young Spurs career.

Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke help each other

Marmoush and Solanke did not have the most profound all around impact on the game, but they were positives for Spurs - and that hasn't been the case in most of the games this season. And yet they did it together, playing almost like a striker pairing, with Marmoush just a little bit deeper than Solanke.

If Savio is out, Roberto De Zerbi may have just stumbled upon a striker partnership of Marmoush and Solanke being the solution and that these two can co exist with each other. But even though Mohammed Kudus played well, what he also realized is that Marmoush cutting inside off the left and starting as almost a second striker in that inverted winger role next to Dominic Solanke in the middle - with Savio, of course, then cutting inside off the right of the formation with his left foot - being a solution for Spurs.

What De Zerbi is realizing in seeing Tottenham have their best offensive performance with Marmoush and Solanke together is that the answer isn't necessarily an either or proposition with his two best theoretical scorers in the squad. It is a "both" answer to the equation, because Marmoush and Solanke are more supplemental scorers who, in combination, can potentially supplement each other into being greater than the sum of their parts. Solanke can use his frame to shield the ball and bring Marmoush in, and Marmoush can use his skill and creativity to help destabilize the tight spaces.

The Spurs fanbase quickly developed a fondness for Big Kevin Danso after he joined the club midway through the 2024/25 campaign.

Danso was a late January addition to Ange Postecoglou's defence, and a much-needed one given our desperate situation.

The Austrian international had starred for a Lens side that made it's long-awaited return to the Champions League in 2023/24 and beat Arsenal along the way.

There was an acceptance across the board that Danso would merely provide mitigation while Postecoglou navigated a classic injury crisis at the heart of his backline and sought to prioritise Europa League success.

Danso did a whole lot of losing during his first few months at the club, as he started 10 Premier League games and provided security off the bench in Europe. He was the man Ange called when he required an extra defender to see a game out, as pragmatism took hold of the idealistic Australian at just the right time. As a result, Danso played 11 minutes during our glorious night in Bilbao.

While hardly outstanding, Danso's big smile, warmth and humility meant a fanbase had no choice but to love him. Thus, sadness permeated north London when Roberto De Zerbi disclosed in August that the defender had asked to leave, subsequently earning a loan move to Sunderland.

Danso's nightmare season reaches nadir with Bournemouth red card

Spurs' defensive reshuffle still left Danso in reserve, and the 28-year-old wanted regular first-team starts. Sunderland said they could provide such a guarantee, given their beefier schedule this term, and Danso will join the Black Cats permanently next summer if they stay in the Premier League this season.

However, that may not be the case if the Austrian has anything to do with it. He's had a wretched start to the season up on Wearside, and his early-season woes peaked on the south coast when he was sent off for hauling down Bournemouth's Evanilson after a clumsy touch allowed the striker to break through on goal.

Danso has started six games since his arrival, with Dan Ballard's injury opening the door for the loanee to shine. However, his form has left Régis Le Bris with no choice but to limit his minutes once he returns from suspension.

The nature of Danso's dismissal means he'll only serve a one-match ban, and he'll be available for Thursday's Europa League tie away to Lech Poznán.

Sunday's mess was merely the nadir for Danso. Errors have littered his loan so far, with his work in possession coming under harsh scrutiny. The 28-year-old was erratic in the 5-3 defeat at Manchester City and similarly lax in the home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. An early Danso mistake wasn't punished by the visitors, who claimed victory at the Stadium of Light despite playing much of the contest with 10 men.

After the highs of last season, Sunderland, who could end the Gameweek bottom of the Premier League table, may well be succumbing to the division's infamous 'second season syndrome'.

Both Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven suffered very minor injuries over the September and October international break while with the Netherlands national team, and some Tottenham Hotspur fans took it as a statement of lesser value that Van de Ven was the one rested for the all important fixture at Old Trafford against Manchester United, which Spurs drew 1-1.

Marcos Senesi drew the start next to Van Hecke, who seems to be more favored by manager Roberto De Zerbi in the eyes of many; he is, after all, likened to De Zerbi as a son to him, which is a sentiment mutual to the center back. And once again, like on Matchday 1 in the debacle against Brentford, many Spurs fans felt Senesi outplayed Van Hecke.

But more to the point, there was a debate created immediately after the game by some, still jaded by some of Van de Ven's lesser performances last season, that Senesi should be starting over the club captain. After all, Senesi was better than VDV last season and was a Premier League Team of the Season contender as one of the stars behind Bournemouth's rise to the Europa League.

Micky van de Ven is too important in defensive security

That would be a very dangerous take, though. Senesi is better than Van de Ven on the ball, and you can argue that in terms of the placement of his passes and his consistency, he is at least as good as Van Hecke on the ball, too. Defensively, he has looked more secure than Van Hecke, but to say he is a better defender than Micky van de Ven would be borderline crazy.

Senesi regularly allows well over a dribble completed per game, and he is just as slow as Van Hecke. He is a player who can get caught out easily, and playing both Van Hecke and Senesi together is a recipe for disaster, especially against better teams than Manchester United that can counter Roberto De Zerbi's heavy possession based style at Tottenham Hotspur quickly up the pitch.

Meanwhile, Van de Ven is at his best defensively this season, averaging 0.2 dribbles completed per game, and Tottenham's best games defensively have come with VDV in the lineup. He has been part of their clean sheets. And while he averages far fewer defensive interventions than the 3-4 combined tackles and interceptions per game that Senesi and Van Hecke do, that's what makes pairing one of them with Van de Ven better than pairing both without him. De Zerbi loves Van de Ven, too, and he picked him as a captain for a reason and galvanized him back to being a top Premier League player shortly after being hired. There should be no issue or debate: Van de Ven is crucial to Spurs and can't be behind a slower, less secure defender.

I'm not exactly sure who the quote can be attributed to, either Plato or a scrawny teenager speaking on a podcast the world absolutely didn't need, but it rings true for Tottenham Hotspur heading into Monday's clash against Coventry City.

"If you do Marbella right, your calm."

Roberto De Zerbi's retreat to the south of Spain will aim to establish the "click" within the Italian's new-look squad. We may be 19th (to start the weekend) and without a Premier League win, but the mood does feel somewhat buoyant after our resilient showing in Manchester last weekend.

However, the good feeling generated from Dominic Solanke's late strike at Old Trafford will mean little if we fail to celebrate three points under the lights on Monday. It's only October, but this certainly feels like a must-win for De Zerbi's side. While Coventry have won back-to-back games, there's a prevailing sense that if we can't beat a newly-promoted team on home soil, then where on earth will the wins come from?

Here's the team De Zerbi could pick for Coventry's visit.

Defense: GK Antonín Kinsky - RB Archie Gray - CB Jan Paul van Hecke - CB Micky van de Ven - LB Destiny Udogie

There was a reshuffle in defense at Old Trafford last weekend, with Marcos Senesi coming into the side and Archie Gray deputising for the injured Pedro Porro.

Porro is closing in on a comeback, suggesting he's "almost ready" over the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the matchday squad, but a start seems unlikely. Gray should keep his spot.

Jan Paul van Hecke is a shoo-in next to him, and I suspect Micky van de Ven will come back in for Senesi, even if the Argentina adds even greater security in the build-up.

While Van de Ven is an option at left-back, Destiny Udogie simply has to be the starter.

Midfield: DM Sandro Tonali - DM Mateus Fernandes - AM James Maddison

Conor Gallagher was great last time out, and the Englishman is proving that he has an important role to play in particular fixtures this season.

However, that doesn't mean he should retain his place for Coventry's visit. This is a completely different game to last Saturday, one we don't need Gallagher for. If he's ready, I'm giving James Maddison an hour against his former club from a No. 10 position. Maddison has been limited to cameos this term.

With Maddison back in the fray, Mateus Fernandes should drop into a deeper midfield position and sit alongside Sandro Tonali. The Italian was superb at the Theatre of Dreams, and will single-handedly protect Spurs from the counter-attack on Monday. He's our fire extinguisher in midfield.

Forwards: RW Sávio - CF Dominic Solanke - LW Omar Marmoush

I'd pick Mohammed Kudus as the No. 10 if Maddison can't start, because I think we need to have a front three comprising Sávio, Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush.

Marmoush's ball-striking from distance offers an alternative solution against deep-lying defences, while Solanke is the box presence we sorely need. With Udogie driving forward from left-back, there should be plenty of opportunities for Marmoush to drift infield and occupy the half-space.

While Sávio established an effective relationship with Udogie last weekend, I'm utilising him on the opposite flank here, asking him to probe and attract attention—potentially opening up opportunities on the edge of the box to finish.

Tottenham Hotspur will face Coventry on Monday Night Football after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United, and many pundits see this as an early do or die game for Spurs, given Coventry are a newly promoted side and probably expected to be in the relegation fight at the end of the season. Tottenham, of course, are 19th in the Premier League table and coming off an intense relegation battle last season that went down to the wire.

Spurs have another huge game the weekend after against rivals Chelsea, who got the better of them consistently last season. Chelsea have an exciting new coach of their own in Xabi Alonso, and whlie the Blues are far from air tight, they are sixth in the table and heavy favorites to beat their London rivals.

Tottenham will be getting a big boost, though. As Pedro Porro himself has confirmed on social media he is "almost back", and whlie that indicates, as expected, he's not ready to recover yet for the Coventry game, he should be ready to face Chelsea. And maybe Spurs ease him by not starting him then since he has had so many fitness issues after an incredible, victorious World Cup for Spain, he is too important not to start against Chelsea after several weeks to rest with the hamstring injury he suffered against Aston Villa just before the three week break.

Pedro Porro should be ready for Chelsea

Porro's return is a big boost to the wingers, and it puts an intriguing scenario on the table for Tottenham Hotspur. Mohammed Kudus is currently starting on the right wing, and we know De Zerbi likes having inverted wingers since they can cut inside and shoot. And everyone, De Zerbi most of all, knows Spurs need goals. Kudus, though, isn't as good at getting into scoring situations as Savio, evne though both are primarly creators.

With Savio outplaying Kudus, De Zerbi could move Savio to the right, make Kudus a super sub, and then start Omar Marmoush on the left to get Dominic Solanke back in at striker. Now, Mathys Tel on the left wing and the Frenchman's return to the starting lineup is a possibility, since Tel has played very well for the youth national team and even for Spurs in the preseason befoer a poor start to the season.

But Solanke and Marmoush are more proven players in the Premier League and better goal scorers than Tel, even if they have struggled to find the back of the net this season. De Zerbi's choices with Pedro Porro out against Coventry and how they do on Matchday 6 will surely impact the Italian manager's decisions vs. Chelsea, but it looks like a front three of Marmoush, Solanke, and Savio may be the best lineup possible.

And having Porro back gives Spurs more attacking verve and quality on the right flank than Archie Gray, who did well in his stead but is clearly not a real right back. Porro can allow the right winger to get inside more and be more of a scoring threat, and that builds a stronger case for Savio to start there, which raises the possibility of Marmoush shifting over to the left to take his place and for both Solanke and Marmoush to work together, which we have not seen enough of.

Tottenham Hotspur are finally expected to have a real No. 10 back in their starting 11 next week when they take on Coventry on Monday Night Football, as James Maddison got in another 20 minutes or so off the bench in the 1-1 draw over Manchester United. While Conor Gallagher has worked hard for the team, his inability to create chances or show adequate technical quality in the final third, which was the key reason Chelsea got rid of him in the first place, has continued to rear its ugly head this season for Spurs.

While Tottenham work hard in possession, press well, and can now suffocate and dominate teams, they are still in the relegation zone through six Matchdays in the 2026/27 Premier League season because they cannot create high quality chances, let alone score them when they do get them. Maddison finally starting his first game since his torn ACL in the 2024/25 season will be massive, as will the impending return of Dejan Kulusevski from his own serious knee injury in 2025 in November (and then the main man, Xavi Simons, should be back in January or February of next year after tearing his ACL at the end of the last season).

But in the meantime, Tottenham did actually have another option at the 10 besides Gallagher or even shoehorning young defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes into an unnatural position. Young prospect Luca Williams-Barnett was one of the team's best overall players in the preseason and a huge story for Spurs as a potential early breakout prospect, showing quality on the ball and a fearlessness in using his skill that made Spurs fans intrigued as to the role he could play this season as a homegrown player in the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur could have definitely used him instead of Gallagher or Fernandes and at least seen what this special talent could offer, but Roberto De Zerbi has only given him a few minutes in the League Cup this season and nothing else - not even when Spurs could have used a spark, even if only off the bench, in the Premier League.

But De Zerbi has praised LWB frequently, and he did so again recently in the build up to the Coventry game, via Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "Special talent. Special personality also, because he's arrogant, but arrogant good for football because you have to believe in yourself. Not forgetting to be humble. Humility but believe in yourself, and the right example is Luca."

Tottenham fans are seeing Roberto De Zerbi tease using Luca Williams-Barnett time and time again, but they frustratingly are not seeing the potential spark actually get minutes. Spurs will be boosted by James Maddison in the 11, but he is not ready for a full 90 minutes yet. Williams-Barnett, even if he doesn't start, can help this team by beating defenders, destabilizing the defense from the middle, and create more than what Conor Gallagher can. It's time to give him a shot.

Tottenham return to Premier League action on Monday night when they face Coventry City at home. Spurs are still searching for their first win after six games, and there will be an expectation for them to get it here, playing at home against a newly-promoted team.

Coventry have won two of their first six games, and that includes a big home win over Newcastle United last time out. Here we round up the injury news surrounding Spurs and Coventry.

Aurele Amenda - Out

Lampard confirmed last week: "Aurele is working away. It's a sort of up to a three-month injury, so we're working through that."

Haji Wright - Out

Lampard said of Wright at the same time: "A little bit longer as well, but working hard and getting there... Hadji won't be back till into November, at best. I don't want to put pressure on because it's an awkward injury."

Josh Eccles - Out

Lampard said on Thursday ahead of this one: "Josh, not yet - he had a baby girl last week. He's got a little bit of an issue with his ankle - the calf is fine - so he's not on the training just yet. We hope so in the next 2-3 weeks to progress."

Luke Woolfenden - Out

Lampard added in his Thursday address: "And Woolfenden is a little bit longer than that (2-3 weeks)."

Xavi Simons - Out

Simons remains out until the new year due to a serious knee injury suffered last season.

Wilson Odobert - Out

Odobert is also working his way back from an ACL tear, and he is hoping to be back by December.

Rodrigo Bentancur - Out (Suspended)

Bentancur is out as he serves a red card suspension.

Pedro Porro - Doubt

De Zerbi says Porro's issue isn't serious. He will be a doubt here.

Mykhailo Mudryk - Out

Mudryk will be out until at least after the next international break. De Zerbi has said the winger is still 'many games' away.

Dejan Kulusevski - Doubt

It's hard to say when Kulusevski will return, but he is getting close, so we will keep him down as a doubt. De Zerbi said last week: "He is working well - tomorrow he comes with us, also Porro. I want all players tomorrow, tonight and tomorrow, but he is working very well. I think he is an example for everyone... how he reacted to the injury, the reaction to being unlucky, the character he showed this time, a reference for everyone."

Tottenham remain winless in the Premier League after six games and 19th in the table, yet the resolve shown at Old Trafford has offered great encouragement.

Spurs have ultimately performed better than their points tally suggests. We sit 12th in FotMob's 'expected points' table, with eight to our name rather than three. The frustrating theme of underperformance in front of goal continued last weekend, and our misfortune looked set to continue when Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off after Bryan Mbeumo's opener.

But a wretched Man Utd team failed to capitalise on their distinct advantages and Roberto De Zerbi's side never went away. We'd been dominant for an hour, and Dominic Solanke's stoppage-time header was just reward for our efforts.

While the majority have seized upon the club's slow start after a big splurge in the summer, there's a prevailing sense that everything will be okay in north London. However, the apparent progress made at the Theatre of Dreams will count for little if the Lilywhites don't secure their first win of the season at home to Coventry City on Monday night.

Alan Shearer backs Spurs for relegation battle if winless start continues vs. Coventry

Frank Lampard's Coventry have found life on either side of the break after a woeful start upon their long-awaited Premier League comeback. Back-to-back wins over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United has seen the newly-promoted side leapfrog Spurs in the table.

A few weeks back, we all pinpointed this as the fixture where De Zerbi's new-look outfit would put things right. This was the occasion where we'd cash in on our early-season misfortune, and ignite our campaign with an emphatic victory.

Now, though, Coventry's visit suddenly looks a little tougher, with confidence exuding from Lampard's side. They'd looked out of their depth during the first month of the season, but must feel like they belong at the highest level. Former Chelsea star Lampard will be desperate to stick it to us again, too.

There's no denying that this is a huge game for Spurs. If you can't beat a newly promoted side at home under the lights, many will wonder where the heck the wins are going to come from.

Thus, an ominous prediction has arrived from mainstream media pundit Alan Shearer, who believes the Lilywhites will be in for another relegation slog if they fail to win on Monday night.

"I've always said the time to worry is when you're not creating the chances, and that wasn't the case at Old Trafford. They created plenty. So, if that were to keep on going, they could have a little bit of hope, but they desperately need that win," he said (via Hotspur Lane on X).

“If they don't beat Coventry on Monday, then I think they'll be in a massive relegation battle, and I think that's how big a game it is.”

I don't disagree; this is a big game, especially with a trip to Stamford Bridge on the horizon. However, I also don't think we need to build up this fixture as if it's life or death.

Tottenham Hotspur are still struggling to score goals. They barely found the back of the net very late against Manchester United on Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 Premier League season, drawing 1-1 with the Red Devils despite creating several clear chances in the first half of the match. Dominic Solanke, who scored the tying goal in the end, flubbed several great chances and continued to play a poor all around game in terms of helping the wingers get in on goal, too.

Spurs are creating chances and dominating possession, but they are not scoring many goals - only three in six games with zero wins in the Premier League - for two distinct reasons. In addition to struggling with finishing their chances, Spurs are also not creating enough clear cut scoring chances, with only the new winger Savio consistently producing from that stand point.

Now, fortunes will be changing for Spurs soon. James Maddison is going to return to the starting lineup, presumably on Matchday 7 against childhood club Coventry. And now, Spurs are awaiting the even more anticipated return of Dejan Kulusevski, who was out for 18 months with an even more serious, career threatening injury than Maddison's own ACL tear in the 2024/25 season.

Dejan Kulusevski can step in where Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush are failing

Kulusevski is a right winger and a playmaker at heart, and Roberto De Zerbi has already told reporters that he mostly sees the Swedish national team star as an attacking midfielder in his system. He will likely rotate for minutes with Maddison, and he surely won't be starting full games for a while, even if he does return, as is tentatively expected based on his recovery course, in November.

But with Tottenham Hotspur struggling to get any production out of the No. 9 position, their biggest problem in the starting 11 could be a solution filled by Dejan Kulusevski. Because if Dominic Solanke continues to struggle badly with scoring and remains a non factor in terms of his dribbling and chance creation and if Roberto De Zerbi still does not see Omar Marmoush as the ideal center forward solution, then Kulusevski as a false nine becomes an alternative worth thinking about.

Kulu has had four seasons in his career between Serie A and the Premier League with double digit goal contributions, and while he hasn't hit double digit goals since early in his career in 2019/20 when he was on loan at Parma - and the Italian top flight's Young Player of the Season - the quality has always been there. And he could be more decisive in that false nine role, especially since he can bring others into play and excels at that. It's far from the ideal solution, but if Marmoush and Solanke can't step up by the time Kulu is ready to play meaningful minutes in the winter, he could be a bridge to a real striker in the January market.