Chris Waddle has become the latest pundit to back Roberto De Zerbi to steady the ship at Tottenham Hotspur as they look to retain their Premier League status.
Roberto De Zerbi has a big task on his hands as Tottenham Hotspur boss, as he aims to keep Spurs in the English top flight with just seven games remaining this season.
His first encounter is against newly promoted Sunderland, a side Spurs drew with earlier this campaign when Thomas Frank was in charge.
However, this time around, Tottenham will be desperate to avoid defeat as they run the risk of finishing the gameweek in 18th place should West Ham United beat Wolves.
Tottenham backed by Chris Waddle as Roberto De Zerbi fight begins
Many pundits have had their say on whether De Zerbi is the ideal pick for Tottenham at this stage of the season.
The likes of Jay Bothroyd believe that the new Spurs boss is the perfect fit, even backing him to deliver European football next season.
However, William Gallas is not convinced by Tottenham’s appointment of De Zerbi, with the former defender of the opinion that someone like Harry Redknapp should have been the pick at this stage of the season.
MORE SPURS STORIES
Chris Waddle has now shared his verdict on De Zerbi’s appointment, explaining why he believes the Italian can keep Spurs up while also outlining the immediate priorities for the team.
Speaking on the situation, Waddle told Fruity King: “Roberto De Zerbi will keep Tottenham from being relegated – the fans will want to see his football
“I was all for Glenn Hoddle going back as caretaker but Roberto De Zerbi is a good manager and he did well at Marseille under difficult circumstances. He is well-prepared and he loves the game. He is very tactically aware. He likes to play a type of football that Tottenham fans want to see and he will get them organised but the priority now is to stay up.
“They will all be tricky games from this point on. People say this is not as hard as this game and this game but they are all hard games when you have got no confidence. He has got to inject confidence back into this team. He has got to make them difficult to beat again, and at the minute draws are good results if you are not getting beat.
“Bringing in Roberto De Zerbi is a good move. He has managed Marseille, which is a difficult club to manage. He knows what to expect and the thing with him is he is football mad and he is a very good coach as well. I am sure he can get this Tottenham group together to keep them up and then at the end of season he can oversee a good clear out and get some new players in with the quality he needs.”
Spurs face defining run under Roberto De Zerbi in relegation battle
While the jury is still out on De Zerbi, the Italian will no doubt be focused on the games at hand for Spurs as they aim to beat the drop.
It is currently an intense relegation fight, with three other teams very likely to also go down this season, making it all the more possible for Tottenham to survive.
Leeds, Nottingham Forest and West Ham are all in this fight, and this gameweek is absolutely crucial for Tottenham in their battle against relegation.
Victory against Sunderland, with results elsewhere going their way, and De Zerbi’s side will be up to 15th in the league table, allowing his side to build much-needed momentum before the Premier League run-in.