Mathys Tel has given Roberto De Zerbi the easiest selection call of the week: after the goal that finished Chelsea off, the Frenchman has to start against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
One brilliant moment does not make a season, and nobody at N17 should pretend it does. But dropping a 21-year-old winger straight after one of the best performances of his Tottenham career would send exactly the wrong message, to him and to a dressing room that has finally found some rhythm.
Spurs host Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 17:30 GMT on Saturday, chasing a third straight Premier League win. The question is not really whether Tel deserves another go. It is what he has to do with it.
What did Mathys Tel do at Stamford Bridge?
The game was crying out for a moment. Mike Penders had punched a Mateus Fernandes corner into his own net in the 77th minute, Cole Palmer had been sent off for a second yellow card, and Spurs were 1-0 up but not yet safe. Ten-man sides have nicked late equalisers before.
Then Mathys Tel settled it in the 87th minute. He drove from inside his own half deep into Chelsea territory and, from just outside the box, sent a shot into the bottom corner that gave Penders no chance. You can relive the whole night in our Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham match report.
Strength to hold off a challenge, pace to keep going, a change of direction and a finish that curled away from the goalkeeper: it had everything. If one of Spurs’ great wingers of the past had scored it, it would be on a loop all week.
Was Mathys Tel more than one goal against Chelsea?
Yes, and that matters more than the highlight. He completed four dribbles, more than anyone else on the pitch, had 10 touches in the opposition box, the most of any player, and created two chances.
Andy Robertson, playing behind him, made the same point to Sky Sports after the game: “Mathys Tel in front of me was outstanding today. He gave us a lot of options in behind and to hold the ball up.”
That is the part that tends to get lost. Tel stretched Chelsea, gave Spurs an out ball and kept running, and the goal came on top of a proper shift rather than out of nowhere.
What has De Zerbi said about Mathys Tel?
The head coach was clear on where the credit went. In his post-match press conference, De Zerbi said: “Mathys Tel played very well. I think we won the game with two wingers, Kudus and Mathys, they made the difference.”
He went further in an interview with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Asked whether the goal could be a big moment for the forward, De Zerbi said: “Yes, but he has to push, to push, to push, to keep going, because he’s a talent.”
He was honest about the gaps too: “He has to clean the last 30 metres, the last decision, the last pass, the shot. He has an unbelievable shot.” And then the line that should stick with Tel all week: “I believe in Mathys, maybe more than he believes in himself.”
Why the Mathys Tel praise comes with a warning
Read those quotes together and you get the full picture. De Zerbi is not saying Tel has arrived. He is saying the raw material is there and the end product is not yet consistent enough. That is a fair verdict, and it is the same one plenty of Spurs fans have been giving for a long time.
The difference now is that the manager has put it on record that he backs the player. When a coach says he believes in you more than you believe in yourself, the obvious next step is to pick you.
Should Mathys Tel start for Tottenham vs Crystal Palace?
For me, yes, and the injury list makes the argument even simpler. Savio is out with a muscular problem and faces a battle to be back before the end of November, as our latest Tottenham injury news before Palace lays out. With Mohammed Kudus on the other flank, the left side is Tel’s to keep for now.
There is also a confidence point. Young attackers build momentum by playing the next game, not by being thanked for a goal and then left on the bench. Drop him now and the Chelsea strike becomes a one-off. Start him and it becomes a platform.
What Mathys Tel needs to show against Palace
Palace are a very different test. Spurs will have the ball, the space in behind will shrink and the job becomes beating a full-back in a tight area and picking the right final pass, exactly the “last 30 metres” De Zerbi talked about. As we argued in our piece on why Palace at home is a bigger test than Chelsea, this is the kind of game where Spurs have to create rather than wait for a moment.
That is where Tel has to grow. Taking his man on and keeping going forward instead of turning back, getting better crosses in, and adding goals and assists on a regular basis rather than in flashes.
Verdict: Mathys Tel has earned a run, not a free pass
The bar is simple. A Tottenham winger who wants to nail down a place needs to be heading for something like 15 goal involvements across a season, and needs to keep his spot when Savio is fit again. One goal at Stamford Bridge does not get Tel there.
But it does earn him the next few games to prove he can. Start him against Palace, let the home crowd give him the reception he has been waiting for, and judge him on what he does across a proper run. If De Zerbi really believes in Mathys more than Mathys believes in himself, Saturday is the time to show it.
