Roberto De Zerbi shares brutally honest opinion on managing the minutes of players returning from injuries

Tottenham have registered their first point of the Premier League season following a goalless stalemate vs. Nottingham Forest. Tottenham Hotspur registered their first point of the Premier League season following a hard-fought draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. After back-to-back league defeats to Brentford and Newcastle United, an improved organisation, defensive structure and penetration in the final third was expected from Roberto De Zerbi's side on Saturday. Our fans were able to see the first two but not the latter against Nottingham Forest. The Lilywhites showed unity, organisation and structure at the back to keep a clean sheet away from home. However, for the third league game in a row, they looked disjointed in attack and didn't score a goal. In fact, they failed to muster a shot on goal at the City Ground. And things could have been much worse had Oliver Glasner's side not had a goal controversially disallowed by VAR midway through the second half. Tottenham secured a first point of the season at the City Ground but are still waiting for a first Premier League goal of the new campaign, and Roberto De Zerbi believes his side need to improve their decision-making in the final third. Savio was handed his full Spurs debut, while Destiny Udogie started for the first time this season. The pair were taken off as part of a pre-planned approach to managing their minutes following recent injury issues. When asked about his decision to withdraw Savio and Udogie after around an hour, De Zerbi told Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport): 'In the second half, I'm sorry because the medical team pushed to change Savio and Destiny Udogie after 60 minutes. [Mohammed] Kudus and [Andy] Robertson played very well but maybe two substitutions in that moment was not so good but now we cannot take risks again to injure Savio, he is too important to us and the same [with] Destiny. "No, I'm not happy. (Savio and Udogie coming off) But football is like this. Savio has not the best physical condition to play 90 minutes. He's an important player for us, a crucial player. Destiny is another crucial player for us"– Roberto De Zerbi#THFC #COYS #SPURS… pic.twitter.com/VP25Asa0dR 'Maybe we lost some balance, some connection. We have to respect Nottingham Forest because they played always second balls and long balls. 'We have to improve in every part of football, organisation with and without the ball. Even today I thought we defended very well. We bought very, very good players but you can't just build the team with the names like in Football Manager.' Savio showed flashes of brilliance on the right flank, unsettling Forest's defensive structure with his explosive acceleration, direct running and dribbling skills. Given the nod ahead of Andy Robertson at left-back, Udogie offered defensive solidity as well as impetus going forward when required. Managing their minutes, De Zerbi subbed off Savio and Udogie by bringing in Mohammed Kudus and Andy Robertson, respectively. Kudus and Robertson did not let the intensity drop and delivered strong displays. Forest had to double up at times to contain Kudus, whereas Robertson provided much-needed experience and leadership to help Spurs eke out a point. This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.