Roberto De Zerbi is looking forward to facing fellow Italian Enzo Maresca when Tottenham take on Manchester City, noting they made friends in the Milan youth academy, so both got to know Franco Baresi.
The coach is starting his first full season at Spurs, having taken over during dire circumstances in March and just about steering them out of the relegation zone.
There is a very Italian feel to the Premier League this term, as not only is De Zerbi at Tottenham, but Maresca replaces Pep Guardiola at Manchester City too.
De Zerbi reunited with Maresca
“We had already met as opponents when he was on Guardiola’s staff, but never I think as head coaches,” confessed De Zerbi to Sky Sport Italia.
“I’m pleased because he is a friend. Enzo and I have known each other since we were 13 years old. He had a few years in the Milan youth academy with me, but then he left and we lost sight of each other. Once we crossed paths again, we made sure to remain in contact.
“He’s become a great coach. His path was different to mine, but I am very happy for him. He was already at a big club last season with Chelsea, and now is in charge of another top team.”
You can read the rest of De Zerbi’s interview here.
Tottenham were battling to avoid relegation last season, but De Zerbi hopes they will have a very different experience this time around.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to create a clear playing style and give a soul to this team. If the results were lacking in previous years, it may well be because those elements were missing.
“The Premier League is very competitive, so many talk about ‘projects,’ but very few manage to see them through. We want to be here for many years and take Tottenham back to the top of the table. It’s no guarantee that just having a good transfer campaign will be enough to immediately challenge with the top teams. We’ll see.”
Both De Zerbi and Maresca were in the Milan youth academy, which means they got to see legend Baresi when he was at the club.
The iconic defender died last month at the age of 66 after treatment for cancer.
“I suffered a great deal at this news, because I trained for several years with the Milan team of Invincibles: Baresi, Maldini, Tassotti, Costacurta, Boban and the others,” explained De Zerbi.
“Baresi was truly special, and I can say that first hand. Perhaps it helped that we were both from Brescia, but he always had a very affectionate rapport with me. He’d wink, give me a pat on the back.
“I was just a kid, aged 14, 15, 16, and his presence was just incredible. There are some moments I remember so well, all it took was a glance for him to make even the biggest champions feel small.
“He was probably the best defender I ever saw live, along with Maldini. Those truly were different times.”