De Zerbi: Gallagher started because City Ground is 'England football'

Tottenham's 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest came with a selection story attached. Roberto De Zerbi explained why summer signing Mateus Fernandes started on the bench at the City Ground, and why Conor Gallagher walked out instead.

De Zerbi, speaking after Spurs took a first Premier League point of the season, said the choice was tactical, not a snub. “This stadium is England football and Gallagher he knows better this type of game,” he said, comments first relayed by Alasdair Gold and amplified by Fabrizio Romano.

The head coach then put a floor under Fernandes rather than leaving the Portugal midfielder as a punchline. “Mateus will become for sure in my time at Tottenham one of the best players,” De Zerbi added. “I'm lucky because I have many good players and I have to find the right first XI [for each game].”

Why the benching matters

Fernandes arriving as a headline signing made the XI a story in its own right. Supporters wanted to know whether De Zerbi would throw the new midfielder straight into a tight away fixture. He did not. Gallagher, signed with a clearer reading of English away grounds, got the start in a match that finished without a goal.

The Athletic confirmed the XI before kick-off: Gallagher in, Fernandes out of the first eleven. The match also featured Mykhaylo Mudryk’s return to professional minutes after a two-year ban, but De Zerbi’s midfield explanation is a separate squad decision.

Spurs remain in the earliest stretch of the Premier League calendar, and this weekend brought a cautious, physical 0-0. De Zerbi’s line is that the stadium, not the transfer fee, picked the midfielder. Fernandes stays in the group. Gallagher stays the option when the pitch and the crowd look like an English away night.

Check official broadcaster listings for the next Tottenham fixture rather than unofficial streams.

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