As Tottenham Hotspur wait for Destiny Udogie to work his way back to full fitness, they have been starting Andy Robertson at the left back position, though since Udogie did start at mid week against Charlton Athletic, you have to wonder if Roberto De Zerbi going with Robbo over his allegedly more favored option was a coach's decision.
Either way, starting Robertson against Newcastle United totally backfired, because Robertson was awful. He looked exactly like the player who Liverpool fans declared finished after two terrible seasons, as he even struggled when the Reds were the best team in the Premier League season in the 2024/25 campaign. And he wasn't exactly shining at the World Cup for Scotland either.
Robertson struggled badly on the ball against Newcastle, leaving Mathys Tel to struggle completely on his own with no help. The aging left back could not progress the ball or create chances against an actual quality Premier League team, though he wasn't exactly great offensively against Brentford either, saving himself with heroic defensive work.
Destiny Udogie is beyond Andy Robertson
But he did not even do that against Newcastle, and it has to be clear to Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur that Robertson cannot be a part of the best Tottenham Hotspur XI. Thinking he has something left in the tank to be a veteran backup and offer leadership with some upside to even help coach Souza while being an emergency option for Destiny Udogie is one thing.
The problem becomes when Udogie and Robertson are seen as competing with each other for the left back spot, because there is such a huge gulf in class between the two players. Robertson is an even worse attacking option than Djed Spence was, and at the time last season when both Spence and Udogie were "competing" for a left back spot, there was no real competition between them, so far ahead was Udogie of Spence in possession.
Although Udogie did struggle a bit at the end of the 2025/26 Premier League season after a rash of injuries, that was clearly the Italian national player not at full strength. Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs need to fully trust Udogie as their best left back, because the only real question with regards to the Italian international is his fitness. On the ball, he is one of the best in the Premier League, and Robertson's performance against Newcastle made it clear that Spurs need Udogie.
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