Roberto De Zerbi has been told it is far too early to judge his expensively assembled Tottenham Hotspur side, with the Italian likely to be given a few more months yet before the club even considers sacking him, though TEAMtalk has been told his public hanging out to dry of his players should be looked at.
Four games into the new season and Spurs sit in their all-too-familiar 17th place – the very position they have finished the last two Premier League campaigns.
However, after investing some £320m (€372m, $428m) into new players this summer, there is ample disappointment among supporters and the club’s ownership that there has not been an immediate improvement.
As a result, speculation that De Zerbi is already coming under pressure of the sack is starting to gather pace.
To that end, the manager has been branded a ‘bully’, while some supporters have also turned on the Italian who it’s claimed has ‘no track record of having a track record’.
Now, in an exclusive interview with TEAMtalk, former Spurs striker Bobby Zamora has explained why judgement should be held off over De Zerbi until January, though he does admit he’s fortunate that often-impatient former chairman Daniel Levy is no longer pulling the strings.
“To be honest, I think it’s a blessing that Daniel Levy isn’t at the club anymore. He would have made De Zerbi’s life harder, and I don’t think they would have got on with how animated and opinionated they both are,” Zamora exclusively revealed to us, in association with football betting site, Betwright.
“I think he will be given until January at least. By then, I think they would have kicked on, and the way he wants to play and set up, the players will have got used to it and be getting results; ultimately I think they’ll be fine.”
Zamora added: “It’s a blip, a poor start to the season, and while there is a bit of pressure, I don’t think that Roberto will feel that pressure himself right now.”
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Zamora advised over his public shaming of Tottenham players
De Zerbi was warned earlier this week that he needs to be careful with how he manages his Spurs squad publicly, amid suggestions that the manager has publicly hung his players out to dry for not following his instructions not having gone down well with his players.
Indeed, one pundit even warned him that it “will all unravel quickly” if he keeps speaking out against them in the media.
Off the back of that, we asked Zamora how he would feel as a player if he had a manager who consistently points the finger of blame at his players in public and whether his actions threaten to weaken his position?
Zamora’s reply was telling.
“I was a player that didn’t mind it personally and would take it as a challenge,” the former Spurs striker said.
“With that said, there is a lot of ego in today’s game and with social media and lots of opinions flying around, it becomes harder for players to deal with criticism, especially if it’s coming from within.
“Ultimately, it’s down to the players.
“Roberto is a fiery manager, and it’s down to how the players cope with that. If you can stay calm and process what he is saying, but maybe not in the volatile manner he says it, you’ll realise how he’s actually trying to help you!”
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That said, Zamora believes De Zerbi can help himself by perhaps criticising in a calmer and more instructive way.
“Roberto knows what he wants to do and how he wants his team to play,” he added.
“I think he tells the players what they’re needed to do, and if they don’t do that, he has a point of bringing up what hasn’t been executed by the players how he wants.
“But he could do it in a calmer, more instructive way, but that’s his character and how he is.”