Tottenham face injury crisis ahead of Chelsea trip as De Zerbi defends medical staff

Tottenham head to Stamford Bridge with a packed treatment room and a dreadful record at Chelsea, where they have won just once in the last 41 meetings. Roberto De Zerbi, the Spurs boss, has defended his medical department amid the injury pile-up, insisting the current situation is simply part of modern football.

• De Zerbi says the high number of absences is a normal situation and refuses to blame the medical staff.
• Destiny Udogie remains out, Tosin Adarabioyo is a doubt, and James Maddison did not train for three days.
• Xabi Alonso links Chelsea's improved disciplinary record, with no red cards this season, to emotional control.
• Chelsea will be without Emiliano Martínez after the goalkeeper broke his jaw against Everton.
• Tottenham have won only once in their last 42 competitive visits to Stamford Bridge.

De Zerbi's strong defence of Tottenham's medical services

The Italian coach refused to point fingers after confirming he could be without nine players through injury. Although Pedro Porro returns to the squad and Andy Robertson, Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke are said to be in good condition despite fitness concerns, the list of absentees remains long. Destiny Udogie and Tosin Adarabioyo are joined on the sidelines by long-term cases such as Lucas Bergvall and Savio, while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended.

De Zerbi explained that the club will produce a full injury report at the end of the season, but for now there is no reason to criticise the medical team. He believes the staff operates at a high level and that he trusts their working methods completely.

I am convinced our medical staff this season is high level. We are suffering a normal situation in football.

Porro, Bergvall and Robertson: the coach's detailed examples

To reinforce his argument, De Zerbi broke down specific cases. Pedro Porro had just won the World Cup with Spain and suffered a hamstring problem during the tournament. He pushed to return and played against Aston Villa on 29 September before breaking down again. Lucas Bergvall twisted his knee in the first minute against Manchester United on 10 October, finished the match and felt pain the next day.

Andy Robertson's situation is different. The Scot played four consecutive games for his country during the international break and returned with accumulated fatigue. De Zerbi considers it normal tiredness for a player with that workload, not a failure of prevention.

Tottenham's Stamford Bridge curse continues to loom

Asked about his team's awful record at Chelsea's ground, De Zerbi played down the historical factor. He argued that neither he nor the current players were responsible for what happened in previous seasons and that they prefer to focus on present challenges. Tottenham have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2018, a run that has become one of the most frustrating for the travelling support.

Xabi Alonso and Chelsea's remarkable disciplinary turnaround

Across the divide, Xabi Alonso has transformed the behaviour of a Chelsea side that picked up 11 red cards last season. The Spanish coach identified the problem upon his arrival and has worked on the group's emotional management from day one. This season the team has not had a single sending-off and showed intelligence in the 2-0 win at Everton.

It comes a lot with emotional control. If you are focused on what you have to do, normally you don't make that many mistakes or overreact to certain situations.

Alonso highlighted that signing more experienced players last summer has been key to keeping calm in tense moments. They are profiles capable of taking a step back and reading what the game demands. However, he admitted that maintaining that control in an electric atmosphere like a Chelsea - Tottenham clash is tough, especially when the crowd feeds off every duel.

Emiliano Martínez ruled out and Mike Penders handed his chance

Chelsea will be without Emiliano Martínez, who fractured his jaw against Everton. His place will be taken by Mike Penders, the young Belgian goalkeeper in whom Alonso sees shades of Thibaut Courtois. The Spanish coach revealed he spoke to Courtois during the World Cup and that even the Real Madrid keeper acknowledged similarities between the two.

Premier League clubs to foot the bill for new independent regulator

Away from the pitch, the Premier League now knows how much the new independent football regulator will cost. The highest-earning clubs in the top flight will pay up to £1.8 million from next summer. The consultation opened by the body projects a total cost of £20.3 million for the 116 clubs in the top five divisions for the 2027-28 season.

That figure doubles the government's original estimate of £10 million a year. Premier League clubs will cover around 85% of the budget, with payments proportionate to their revenues. Richard Monks, the regulator's chief executive, argued that the levy represents a modest investment, around 0.1% of annual revenues for most clubs.